Medtronic Announces CE Mark, Release of NC Euphora Balloon Catheter

Medtronic announced the CE marking and European launch of its NC Euphora noncompliant balloon dilatation catheter, a device designed to ensure that drug-eluting stents are fully engaged and transferring drugs to the artery wall following implantation.

The Minnesota devicemaker says post-dilatation with noncompliant balloon can prevent problems such as restenosis and stent thrombosis, which can be caused by under-expansion of a stent.

According to Medtronic, the catheter provides superior deliverability and allows for reliable stent re-cross when traversing long lesions, preventing the balloon from catching when passing through a deployed stent.

"When using a noncompliant balloon, deliverability and re-cross are important characteristics, especially when faced with challenging coronary anatomy," said Robert Gerber, an interventional cardiologist and preclinical researcher for the NC Euphora balloon. "The NC Euphora balloon was designed to meet these demands and provide reliable performance with no tradeoffs in the moment that we need it most."

The NC Euphora is the latest in a series of 12 new product introductions Medtronic has planned over the next two years. — Kellen Owings

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