S.S. White supplies a flexible shaft for a Medtronic device designed to repair certain aneurysms. (Image from S.S. White)
S.S. White Technologies (St. Petersburg, Fla.) said it is supplying a custom flexible shaft to drive a new Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) device for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).
Medtronic’s Heli-FX EndoAnchor system uses the S.S. White shaft to maneuver and install a staple to secure endografts in abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) and thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) cases, according to S.S. White.
Flexible shafts transmit rotary motion much like solid shafts, but can be curved over, under, and around areas in ways a solid shaft cannot, the company said. This allows the minimally invasive Medtronic applicator system to position the proximal and distal ends of an implant (an anchor) within a blood vessel and to deploy the spiral anchor into the vascular wall.
“S.S. White is an industry leader in understanding the customer requirement, and then translating that into the actual construction of the shaft,” said Medtronic cardiac and vascular group senior engineering supply management director Mohan Krishnan in an S.S. White news release.
The Heli-Fx EndoAnchor system shaft design includes laser-welded fittings for a reduced diameter.
Flexible shafts are commonly used in surgical applications, especially in surgical power tools and tools used in minimally invasive procedures, according to S.S. White. Flexible shafts have also found uses in handheld flexible screwdrivers and flexible drills used in surgery, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical equipment, robot-assisted surgery technology, and breast biopsy probes.
