Penumbra Launches Indigo System Lightning 7 in the United States

March 18, 2021—Penumbra, Inc. announced the commercial availability of the Indigo system Lightning 7 in the United States.

Lightning 7 expands Penumbra’s offering of the Indigo aspiration system with intelligent aspiration for mechanical thrombectomy. The device is designed for single-session arterial thrombus removal.

According to the company, the Indigo system Lightning 7 combines the new Indigo system CAT 7 aspiration catheter with Lightning intelligent aspiration powered by Penumbra’s Engine. CAT 7 is a high-power, low-profile catheter that features laser-cut hypotube technology and circumferential sweep designed for dependable delivery and maximized clot extraction.

The Indigo system’s Separator technology is also available with Lightning 7 (Separator 7) and is designed to enable unobstructed aspiration for the duration of the procedure. Lightning intelligent aspiration features Penumbra’s clot detection technology that enables the operator to identify thrombus location and is also designed for blood loss reduction.

“My experience with Lightning 7 suggests that it streamlines clot removal in the peripheral arterial vasculature with low-profile access, excellent trackability, and similar power to the CAT 8 Penumbra catheter that was previously used for this application,” commented Christopher Metzger, MD, in the company’s announcement. “The torquability makes vessel navigation much easier.”

He added, “Penumbra continues to forge ahead with yet another game-changing technology that has the potential to increase single-session thrombus removal and thereby may help improve outcomes.” Dr. Metzger is System Chair of Clinical Research for Ballad Health and Medical Director of Cardiac and Peripheral Cathlabs, Ballad Health, Holston Valley Medical Center, in Kingsport, Tennessee.