Cook Reintroduces Beacon Tip Catheters in Europe

September 2, 2019—Cook Medical announced that the company's Beacon Tip angiographic catheters are again available to physicians in Europe. Beacon Tip catheters are used for diagnostic angiographic procedures and feature a visible distal tip that is designed to improve visualization during fluoroscopic guidance.

In 2016, the company issued a voluntary global recall of all Beacon Tip catheters following concerns that the tips were fracturing due to environmental factors.

As of September 2019, the catheters are available in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Belgium, France, Switzerland, Austria, Hungary, Spain, and Italy. Cook is continuing to work on releasing the products to customers in the rest of Europe, the Middle East, and Africa in the near future.

In April 2018, Cook began reintroducing its line of Beacon Tip angiographic catheters, starting in the United States and Canada with the 5-F Beacon Tip Torcon NB Advantage line.

Cook advised that it invested in new product packaging to meet regulatory standards from multiple governing bodies. For improved patient safety, the products now come with specialized foil packaging to help protect the catheters from the environmental effects that contributed to the recall.