Miniature Catheter Drains Fluid from Smaller Cavities

A novel drainage catheter provides a minimally invasive way to remove or drain unwanted fluids collection.

The Argon Medical Devices (Frisco, TX, USA) SKATER Mini-Loop drainage catheter is designed for percutaneous voiding of abscesses or fluids collecting in small cavities using the direct stick method, or for draining swollen kidneys using the Seldinger technique. Each catheter comes with a removable pigtail straightener, a metal stiffening cannula, a flexible stiffening cannula, and a low-profile locking system with a snap-off tab (not available on non-locking pigtail catheters). SKATER Mini-Loop is available in 6-14F sizes and lengths of 15-25 cm, and is compatible with alcohol and doxycycline.

Additional features include a locking shoulder tip that reduces buckling during insertion; consistent catheter-to-hub inner lumen size; a clearly marked French size indicator and position markers to confirm catheter position after placement; the Choice Lock trocar stylet to allow for single-handed abscess drainage placement, and to prevent bottlenecking; large skived holes to help maximize drainage; and Slip-Coat, a proprietary hydrophilic coating that significantly reduces friction for easier percutaneous catheter insertion.

“The SKATER Mini-Loop Drainage Catheter is an expansion of Argon's SKATER all-purpose and nephrostomy drainage portfolio, and it uses a 40% smaller loop to help secure the catheter and drain fluid from smaller cavities,” said George Leondis, President and CEO of Argon Medical Devices. “We are excited to complete our SKATER portfolio of drainage solutions and celebrate this next launch in our year of innovation.”

“The SKATER Mini-Loop Drainage Catheter is easily inserted and forms a tight loop formation to prevent drainage occlusion,” said interventional radiologist Sujoy Menon, MD, of Newark Beth Israel Medical Center (NJ, USA). “Unlike other drainage catheters in the class, SKATER Mini-Loop is compatible with alcohol and has durability to resist kinking, which is important to me.”

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