US-based medical device firm Boston Scientific has launched Axios stent and electrocautery enhanced delivery systems to manage two severe complications from pancreatitis via a minimally invasive endoscopic approach.
The Axios system will assist physicians in endoscopic management of pancreatic pseudocysts and several types of walled-off pancreatic necrosis.
The conditions interpret two types of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs), which take place in 5% to 16% of patients with acute pancreatitis, and 20% to 40% of patients with chronic pancreatitis.
Physicians can use the Axios electrocautery-enhanced catheter to gain access to the PFC, under endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guidance.
The Axios stent will be deployed to facilitate drainage of the PFC by creating a temporary channel between the PFC and the gastrointestinal tract.
It is reported that the large flanges on each end of the lumen-apposing stent decrease the risk of leakage and migration.
The MRI compatible, fully covered and self-expanding stent is claimed to be the only removable metal stent in the US indicated for PFC drainage.
Axios system inventor Kenneth Binmoeller said: "The Axios stent and electrocautery enhanced delivery system provide a simpler and faster treatment option for patients.
"We can now provide an endoscopic solution that provides immediate relief for these patients using one device in a single setting."
Earlier this month, the company secured FDA approval for its Blazer open-irrigated (OI) radiofrequency ablation catheter to treat Type I atrial flutter, an abnormal rhythm of the upper chambers of the heart.
Image: The Axios system combines a cautery-enabled access catheter with the Axios stent. Photo: courtesy of Boston Scientific Corporation.
