Stouffville, Ontario-Following Health Canada
approval, the Zenith Low Profile AAA
Endovascular Graft (Zenith AAA LP) from Cook Medical is now approved and
will be launched to physicians in Canada. With a low-profile delivery
system diameter of 18 Fr and simplified deployment compared to previous Zenith
endograft systems for precise delivery of the graft to the desired position in
the patient’s aorta.

Cook will continue offering its existing Zenith Flex AAA
endograft system in addition to the new Zenith AAA LP as part of its ongoing
commitment to improved patient outcomes by offering products that are
best-suited to the individual needs of every patient.

“Compared to previous Cook devices, the Zenith LP graft’s
low profile system expands the patient population eligible for endovascular
aneurysm repair, enabling us to treat patients with small access vessels who
might otherwise have to have a conduit procedure for endovascular
access. The stent system features barbs, a suprarenal stent, and provides
excellent deployment accuracy.  Zenith LPs 16 Fr system gives us more
reassurance for doing percutaneous endovascular aneurysm repair as well,” said
Cherrie Abraham, M.D., vascular and endovascular surgeon with Jewish General
Hospital and McGill
University.  

“We are extremely proud to bring the lowest profile AAA
device to the Canadian market,” Phil Nowell, vice president and global leader
of Cook Medical’s Aortic Intervention division, stated. “We have reduced the
diameter of the delivery device by up to 20 percent. This latest release is
part of our ongoing and constant efforts to provide physicians with the best
tools to treat each patient by developing technology that meets their clinical
needs.”

Cook’s new Zenith AAA LP device has a significantly smaller
profile than Cook’s other EVAR delivery systems, which measure 20-24 French.
The newly engineered stent-graft is based on Cook Medical’s ARC Technology™,
which combines a series of barbs that engage the aortic wall to provide active
fixation, radial force from self-expanding z-stents for stability and optimal
graft-to-vessel apposition, and a long main body with columnar strength.

While larger EVAR systems must use a surgical incision to
access the femoral artery, in some patients the Zenith AAA LP can be inserted
into the femoral artery percutaneously. With this approach, both the wire guide
and delivery sheath are introduced by a needle inserted into the blood vessel
through the skin. This procedure allows aortic access without the need for a
surgical cut-down of the artery.

The Zenith AAA Low Profile AAA Graft is an investigational
device not approved for sale in the United States.

About Cook Medical

A global leader in medical devices, Cook Medical creates clinical solutions
benefitting millions of patients worldwide. Today, we combine medical devices,
drugs, biologic grafts and cell therapies across more than 16,000 products
serving more than 40 medical specialties. Founded in 1963 by a visionary who
put patient needs first, Cook is a family-owned global corporation with more
than 10,000 employees. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.
Follow Cook Medical on Twitter and LinkedIn and
@cookvascular.

Posted by Sean Fenske, Editor-in-Chief, MDT