St. Jude Medical's OCT-driven 3D vessel reconstruction technology launches in the U.S.
Medical device maker St. Jude Medical (NYSE:STJ; St. Paul, MN) has launched its ILUMIEN OPTIS PCI Optimization system commercially in the U.S, which incorporates optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging technology to enable comprehensive disease assessment for treating coronary artery disease (CAD).
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The platform integrates both OCT imaging and fractional flow reserve (FFR) technologies to measure blood flow blockage inside the coronary arteries. There are currently more than 1,200 published articles with clinical evidence supporting the company's OCT and FFR technologies.
The ILUMIEN OPTIS system is the next generation of the company's ILUMIEN system, and includes automated measurements and stent planning software tools. The OCT imaging technology provides a real-time, three-dimensional (3D) reconstruction of the patientâs vessel to enable physicians to visualize the area they are treating. The new system offers twice the resolution of the earlier generation, which allows for better microscopic examination of disease inside the artery to assist with stent placement. St. Jude Medical is the only company to have these tools available in an integrated platform.
The OCT technology in the system uses the company's Dragonfly Duo Imaging Catheter to capture near-infrared (NIR) light images and measures important vessel characteristics otherwise invisible or difficult to assess with older imaging technology. The catheter offers faster, longer pull-backs, which allows the physician to assess more of the patientâs artery in less time.
The FFR and OCT measurements captured by the system allow physicians to more easily differentiate different types of plaque build-up and determine if the narrowed arteries are causing a restriction in blood flow (ischemia), ultimately assisting in stent placement. The automated stent planning tools provide immediate information for assessment and real-time analysis, which may streamline workflow and help physicians diagnose their patients more quickly.
For more information, please visit http://professional.sjm.com/professional/products/vas/intravascular-diagnostics-imaging/ffr-oct/ilumien-pci-optimization-system.
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