Today, Penumbra announced the launch of its Midway 43 and Midway 62 delivery catheters, which are designed to provide ideal tracking and a stable platform to support the delivery of various embolisation therapies in the neurovasculature. This news came on the same day that the company also announced the CE-mark certification and European launch of three of its reperfusion catheters for acute ischaemic stroke: Red 43, Red 72 with Sendit technology, and Red 78.
Based on the company’s Red catheter technology, Penumbra describes its newly launched Midway intermediate catheters as a “significant advancement” in the intermediate access device market—which has seen “minimal innovation over the last decade”.
“The field of neuroendovascular surgery continues to evolve and expand in both scope and expectations of efficacy, creating increasing demands for technical efficiency and safety,” said John Chaloupka (Mount Sinai Medical Center, Miami, USA). “This trend is taking operators into more challenging technical scenarios, such as microcatheterisation into far distal target lesions, tortuous intracranial vasculature, and unfavourable aortic arch/neck anatomy. As such, use of so-called ‘intermediate access guiding catheters’ has become an important technological requirement towards achieving these goals. Penumbra’s portfolio of Midway intermediate catheters now provides us with highly engineered technology that provides an optimal balance of support and trackability in a wide range of applications.”
Compatible with Penumbra’s Benchmark 71, BMX 81 and BMX 96 access systems, the new Midway catheters are engineered to enable the precise delivery of distal microcatheters, embolisation coils, intrasaccular devices, and flow diverters, according to a company press release. For each therapeutic approach, the release continues, Midway catheters are designed to provide a critical balance between trackability and support, which is achieved through their advanced catheter design, full-length polytetrafluoroethylene (PTFE) liner, and distal hydrophilic coating.
“The innovative design of the new Midway intermediate catheters incorporates Penumbra’s advanced Red catheter technology, providing physicians with optimal support,” said James Benenati, chief medical officer at Penumbra. “With these solutions, clinicians can expect unparalleled performance and reliability, ultimately leading to better patient outcomes.”
In addition, Penumbra claims in a second recent press release that the launch of its Red 43, Red 72 with Sendit technology and Red 78 products in Europe will expand the company’s neurovascular offerings designed for acute ischaemic stroke.
“I’m thoroughly impressed with the currently available Red aspiration catheters’ precision in navigating and removing clots,” said Levansri Makalanda (Barts Health NHS Trust, London, UK). “I’m eagerly anticipating the Red 43, Red 72 Sendit and Red 78, which promise to enhance both the reach and efficiency of clot extraction.”
Optimising science-based aspiration thrombectomy (S-BAT), these devices are engineered with the latest technology in trackability and aspiration to address a wide range of large vessel occlusions, the release adds. The Red catheters feature Redglide technology, which enhances the trackability of the catheters as they navigate the challenging vasculature of the brain—and, additionally, Penumbra says these catheters have a full-length PTFE liner designed to maintain their true lumen size under a powerful vacuum, further maximising aspiration efficiency.
“Penumbra’s latest innovations offer physicians more options to provide care to their patients, regardless of the clot location,” said Joan Kristensen, head of the Europe, Middle East and Africa region for Penumbra. “Our focus is on pioneering technology and expanding access to these innovations with a goal of advancing the delivery of patient care in Europe, and improving patient outcomes.”
