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Tornus catheter facilitated recanalization of chronic total occlusions--another niche device for a difficult lesion
1Banner Good Samaritan Medical Center, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
Insights
Treating chronic total occlusions (CTOs) remains challenging. The new Tornus catheter shows promise for improving CTO revascularization success rates, offering a new option for interventionalists.
Area of Science:
- Interventional Cardiology
- Vascular Medicine
- Medical Device Technology
Background:
- Chronic total occlusions (CTOs) are prevalent in coronary angiograms, posing a significant challenge for interventional cardiologists.
- Successful recanalization of CTOs is associated with reduced mortality, but standard angioplasty techniques have limited efficacy.
Observation:
- Existing guidewires and techniques like retrograde revascularization have improved CTO treatment success rates.
- Deliverability of angioplasty balloons and stents remains a bottleneck in CTO interventions.
- The Tornus catheter is a novel device designed for the specific challenges of CTO lesion subsets.
Findings:
- The Tornus catheter plays a niche role in facilitating the recanalization of chronic total occlusions.
- Case reports demonstrate successful revascularization of CTOs utilizing the Tornus catheter.
Implications:
- The Tornus catheter may enhance treatment options and success rates for complex CTO interventions.
- Further research and clinical adoption of the Tornus catheter could improve outcomes for patients with CTOs.
- This device addresses a critical unmet need in delivering therapeutic devices across CTOs.
Abstract:
One of the last frontiers facing interventionalists is the treatment of chronic total occlusions. Chronic total occlusions (CTO) are present in about one-third of all diagnostic coronary angiograms. Recanalizations of these CTOs have demonstrated a trend towards lower mortality. Unfortunately, use of standard angioplasty equipment has only resulted in a 50-60% success rate.5,6,7 Several recently developed guidewires have increased success rates to 79-90%. Further success in CTO revascularization has been improved by use of novel techniques such as crossing the lesion in a retrograde fashion from collateral vessels. Niche devices such as the Frontrunner CTO catheter (Lumend Inc., Johnson and Johnson, Picataway, NJ) have also facilitated in successful treatment of CTOs. Unfortunately, none of these developments address the issue of deliverability of angioplasty balloons and stents. A newly developed device, the Tornus catheter (Asahi Intech; Abbot Vascular, Redwood City, CA), plays a niche role in the recanalization of this lesion subset. The following contains two case reports which highlight successful revascularization of CTOs with utilization of this new catheter.
