Edwards Lifesciences Corp. has rolled out a next-generation transfemoral delivery system for the Edwards SAPIEN transcatheter heart valve designed for transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures.
The RetroFlex II delivery system retains many of the features of the RetroFlex delivery system, and adds a tapered nose cone that facilitates the passage of the valve delivery catheter over the curve of the aortic arch and through the patient's native, diseased aortic heart valve. The new delivery system is designed to enhance ease-of-use and improve access during the transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedure. European centers will benefit from this new technology during the coming weeks.
The first procedures with the new transfemoral delivery system were performed by John Webb, M.D., director of the cath lab and cardiac intervention at St. Paul's Hospital in Vancouver, British Columbia. His multidisciplinary team has performed more than 150 transcatheter aortic valve replacement procedures, including more than 25 utilizing the RetroFlex II delivery system.
The RetroFlex II delivery system is designed to give the physician maximum control when delivering and implanting the transcatheter aortic valve, making it easier to get to and then cross the patient's native valve.