Data Support Covidien's Vnus ClosureFast Catheter

January 17, 2011—Covidien (Mansfield, MA) announced that results from a prospective, multicenter study using the company's Vnus ClosureFast catheter demonstrated clinical efficacy and improvement in quality of life for patients treated for varicose veins. The ClosureFast catheter is an endovenous radiofrequency ablation catheter designed to heat and close diseased veins. Covidien acquired Vnus Medical Technologies in June 2009.

According to the company, the 3-year follow-up results were from a study of patients treated with the ClosureFast catheter at 13 centers in the United States and Europe. In the study, 267 greater saphenous veins were evaluated at the follow-up and demonstrated a 93% occlusion rate using Kaplan-Meier analysis. In addition to clinical efficacy, the study has shown a venous clinical severity score reduction at 3-year follow-up, which indicates an improvement in patients' relief of symptoms, such as pain or inflammation, from the baseline score at time of treatment.

Alan Dietzek, MD, presented the data at the 37^th Annual VEITH Symposium on Vascular and Endovascular Issues in New York City on November 17, 2010. These results were consistent with data from a European study that Professor Thomas M. Proebstle, MD, presented at the American College of Phlebology's 24^th Annual Congress in Orlando, Florida, on November 5, 2010. Professor Proebstle presented 3-year follow-up after radiofrequency segmental thermal ablation of great saphenous veins, conducted at seven sites in Europe.