Terumo Launches PriorityOne AC Aspiration Catheter

August 22, 2012—Terumo Interventional Systems (Somerset, NJ) announced the United States launch of the PriorityOne AC aspiration catheter for thrombus removal from the coronary or peripheral arteries.

Terumo Interventional Systems stated that the PriorityOne AC features a dual-lumen, 0.014-inch guidewire platform with a 9-cm-long, rapid-exchange segment to facilitate easy navigation and trackability through tortuous anatomies. The device is available in two sizes with 6- and 7-F guide-catheter compatibility.

The PriorityOne AC is composed of a fully braided, stainless steel body and a preloaded stylet that minimizes kinking and provides pushability and trackability, according to the company's press release. The device is designed to enhance a physician's ability to apply the additional force necessary to effectively guide the catheter to the blockage site and restore critical blood flow to the occluded artery. In combination with the large extraction lumen, the PriorityOne AC provides effective aspiration performance throughout the procedure, and its rounded, short-tip design preserves crossability and reduces vessel wall adhesion, stated Terumo.

“Aspiration, or thrombectomy, catheters are excellent tools for helping to clear blocked arteries, but kinking can be a problem as the device is advanced,” commented Michael Martinelli, MD, in Terumo's press release. Dr. Martinelli, who is Chief of Cardiology at St. Peter's Hospital in Albany, New York, added, “The PriorityOne AC offers impressive features such as full-length stainless steel braiding and preloaded, guidewire type of stylet, which increase deliverability and kink resistance ensuring optimal crossability even in difficult scenarios.”