VNUS Medical Technologies Inc (NASDAQ:VNUS) has launched the VNUS ClosureFAST catheter, an endovenous radiofrequency (RF) ablation catheter that is designed to heat, shrink and close diseased saphenous veins (large leg veins) in three to five minutes.
VNUS claims treatment is as fast as laser ablation devices and causes minimal pain and bruising. The entire procedure, from insertion of the catheter to removal, can be completed in approximately 16 minutes — less than half the time required for previous RF-based procedures.
Since the ClosureFAST catheter received FDA clearance in August 2006, more than 150 physicians in the USA and Europe have used the device, and it is now in general distribution to physicians.
“The new ClosureFAST catheter has cut our vein closure procedure time considerably, and it reduces my actual pullback time through the vein from 20 minutes to three,” said Dr Daniel Monahan, Director of the Vein Surgery & Treatment Center of Northern California in Roseville, California. “The increased efficiency makes the procedure less tedious, which is easier on me and delights the patients.'”
“We’re tremendously pleased with the enthusiastic reception for ClosureFAST in the medical community,” said Brian E Farley, president and CEO of VNUS. “The dozens of physicians who have tested the device over the past year have reported very high patient satisfaction with the procedure, and their feedback has been overwhelmingly positive.”
