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Miracor Medical Systems GmbH has announced that the first German patient was successfully treated using its PICSO® (Pressure-controlled Intermittent Coronary Sinus Occlusion) System designed to improve myocardial perfusion following primary PCI (Percutaneous Coronary Intervention, or angioplasty).
Click here for video animation of PICSO®.
The procedure was successfully performed by Prof. Dr. med. Stefan Sack and Dr. Jochen Menne and their team at the General Academic Hospital Schwabing in Munich.
The Miracor PICSO® Impulse System, which is CE-marked, is designed to treat acute heart attack STEMI patients following coronary angioplasty. ‘STEMI’ is an acronym meaning ST-segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction. Heart attacks are divided into three types, according to their severity. A STEMI heart attack is the most severe type. In a STEMI heart attack, the coronary artery is completely blocked off by the blood clot, and as a result virtually all the heart muscle being supplied by the affected artery starts to die.
“We are pleased by this milestone achievement for our breakthrough PICSO® System. We will now expand to additional German centres of excellence with CE-marked PICSO® as well as conclude our ‘Prepare RAMSES’ clinical study,” said Jon H. Hoem, Miracor CEO.
“Our Heart Team at Hospital Schwabing is very pleased to start using this technology in severe heart attack patients,” commented Prof. Sack. “We believe that there is a big unmet clinical need to improve outcomes in STEMI patients and the Miracor technology may help these patients in their recovery.”
“We fully expect that PICSO® will evolve into a standard of care that complements primary PCI procedures,” added Mr. Hoem. “The fact is that in spite of a successful coronary angioplasty, impaired myocardial reperfusion still occurs in about one in three STEMI patients, and this disappointing incidence is absolutely correlated with undesirable outcomes for patients,” said Mr. Hoem. “On the other hand, PICSO® is designed to solve this life-threatening condition by dramatically amplifying the redistribution of blood into the blood-starved myocardium of severe heart attack patients post-PCI. We believe that this benefit of PICSO® will be heartily received by clinicians and patients.”
