DCB Catheter Maintains Patent AV Fistula

An innovative drug coated balloon (DCB) catheter helps clear the stenotic lesions that form in dialysis arteriovenous (AV) fistulae placed in end stage renal disease (ESRD) dialysis patients.

The C. R. Bard (Murray Hill, NJ, USA) Lutonix 035 DCB percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) catheter is coated with paclitaxel, an anti-proliferative drug commonly used to prevent arterial restenosis. The highly efficient formulation of paclitaxel, polysorbate, and sorbitol allows the low profile DCB catheter to deliver a therapeutic dose to the artery wall in a single, short inflation, while keeping the dose of paclitaxel on the balloon itself as low as possible.


The Lutonix 035 DCB catheter is designed to minimize the size of the access site, while maintaining ease-of-use. It is available in lengths of 40, 60, 80, 100, 120, and 150 mm, and in diameters of 4-6 mm (in catheters up to 150 mm in length), and 7 mm in catheters up to 60 mm in length. The DCB also features the GeoAlign marking system, a simple-to-use, non-radiopaque ruler on the catheter shaft itself that facilitates repeatable catheter alignment at the lesion, and increase procedure efficiency by minimizing fluoroscopy exposure.

“For patients undergoing hemodialysis for kidney failure, who already spend a significant portion of their time undergoing dialysis and other treatments, repeated reinterventions to maintain AV access can be an added burden, with many patients returning as frequently as every other month,” said Professor Scott Trerotola, MD, of the University of Pennsylvania (Penn; Philadelphia, USA). “The Lutonix 035 DCB catheter…is intended to offer patients with end-stage renal disease fewer interruptions in treatment and less time undergoing access maintenance, potentially leading to improved patient satisfaction and quality of life.”

ESRD is the fifth and last stage of chronic kidney disease (CKD), signifying that the kidneys are working at less than 10% capacity, and that dialysis or a kidney transplant are necessary. ESRD is also associated with an increased incidence and prevalence of a wide range of cardiovascular disease, including stroke, coronary artery disease, congestive heart failure (CHF), atrial fibrillation (AF), sudden cardiac death, pulmonary hypertension, and valvular heart disease.