Miracor granted five additional U.S. patents and one additional European patent for its PICSO® system

 

(Click here for video animation of PICSO®.)

 

The Miracor PICSO® Impulse System, which is CE-marked, is designed to treat acute heart attack STEMI patients following a 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.

 

“Despite a successful coronary angioplasty, impaired myocardial reperfusion still manifests in about one in three STEMI patients, and this unsatisfactory incidence is strongly correlated with unfavourable outcomes for patients,” said Jon H. Hoem, Miracor CEO. “PICSO is designed to solve this life-threatening problem by dramatically amplifying the redistribution of blood into the blood-starved myocardium of severe heart attack patients post-PCI,” added Hoem. “We have been extremely diligent about protecting our IP throughout the U.S., Europe and Japan, and will continue to do so as we further enhance the features and benefits of PICSO.”

 

Timely myocardial reperfusion using primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI) remains the most effective treatment strategy for limiting infarct size, reducing left ventricular remodelling, and improving clinical outcomes following ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Despite optimum primary PCI, the mortality and morbidity following a STEMI event remains sizeable. Clearly, primary PCI alone is not enough to eliminate the risk for future cardiovascular events. Paradoxically, the process of restoring coronary blood flow can in itself exacerbate the myocardial injury. Miracor’s Pressure-controlled Intermittent Coronary Sinus Occlusion (PICSO®) Impulse System offers a new and innovative approach to reduce myocardial injury and to revitalise ischaemic myocardium. Initial clinical results show positive effects on MACE, restenosis rates, and long-term event-free survival. The PICSO® system consists of the Miracor PICSO® Impulse Console and the disposable, single-use Miracor PICSO® Impulse Catheter.

 

Based in Vienna, Austria, privately held Miracor is commercialising a unique and potentially disruptive technology, PICSO®, for acute coronary syndrome (ACS), heart failure, and cardiac surgery patients. The Company’s objective is to establish PICSO® as the standard of care for heart attack patients, thereby improving their quality of life. The initial market opportunity for PICSO® is 30% of all ACS patients treated per year, which translates into more than 350,000 patients in the US and Europe.

 

The Miracor PICSO® Impulse System is CE-marked and can be used during coronary revascularisation procedures following myocardial infarction and other types of acute coronary syndromes to intermittently increase the pressure in the coronary venous system. The technology is for investigational use only in the United States at this time.