Atherectomy System Treats Peripheral Artery Disease

A novel catheter uses a continuous screw to remove diseased material, as it is debulked, facilitating peripheral artery disease (PAD) treatment.

The Phoenix Atherectomy System is a system designed to restore blood flow to the thighs, ankle, and foot by removing soft plaque or calcified lesions in the arteries of PDA patients. The over-the wire system uses a rotating, front-cutting element located at the distal tip of the catheter to shave material directly into the catheter. The shaved material is then continuously captured and eliminated by an internal Archimedes screw running the length of the catheter. The front-cutting design removes need to pass a catheter nosecone beyond a diseased segment before debulking.


Benefits of the system include a cut, capture, and clear mechanism of action, designed to reduce the risk of distal embolization; an over the wire (OTW) catheter design that provides needed pushability and trackability to treat occlusive lesions and navigate tortuous anatomy; and single operator use via the battery operated motor and on/off switch set in the handle, which activates the rotation of the cutting element and Archimedes screw. The Phoenix Atherectomy System is a product of AtheroMed (Menlo Park, CA, USA), and is available in multiple sizes, down to 1.8 mm in diameter with a 5F (1.2 mm) profile.

“The Phoenix Atherectomy System combines a low profile, flexible catheter shaft design with a mechanism of action that continuously clears debris from the body, so physicians can now safely perform atherectomy in vessels that previously may have been out of their reach,” said Mike MacKinnon, President and CEO of AtheroMed. “We are excited to now bring this treatment option to physicians and their patients.”

“Peripheral artery disease, especially lesions located below the knee, can be challenging to treat, even with currently available technologies,” said Thomas Davis, MD, director of the cardiac catheterization lab at St. John Hospital and Medical Center (Detroit, MI, USA). “My experience with the Phoenix device during the EASE clinical study was extremely positive, and I am excited that the device is now available as it will allow me to debulk small vessels that I may not have been able to treat in the past.”

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