Reflow Medical has announced the completion of enrolment in its Wing-IT investigational device exemption (IDE) trial; a prospective, multicentre, nonrandomised study evaluating the ability of the Wingman catheter to cross chronic total occlusions (CTOs) in peripheral lesions after failed guidewire attempts.

Intact Vascular has announced it received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval for the Tack Endovascular System (6F), a purpose-built dissection repair device implanted post-angioplasty in patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD).

Biotronik has presented the company’s Pulsar-18 T3 stent system for the first time during the Leipzig Interventional Course (LINC; 22–24 January, Leipzig, Germany). 

A look at the eversion approach to CEA, including technical tips, available data, and how to decide when this might be the best option. Most vascular surgeons have been trained in standard carotid endarterectomy (CEA), involving a longitudinal arteriotomy from the common carotid artery (CCA) into the internal carotid artery (ICA), removal of plaque, identification and “tacking” of the distal endpoint, and closure either primarily or with a patch of synthetic or autogenous material. 

Researchers’ hopes that metformin could reduce the growth of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) recently got a substantial boost from a large study, which found that the diabetes drug reduced aneurysm growth by 23%. As reported in the March 2019 edition of the Journal of Vascular Surgery (JVS), Nathan Itoga and colleagues from Stanford/UCSF, led by vascular surgeon Ronald Dalman, performed a retrospective cohort study of 13,834 patients treated in the Veterans Affairs Health Care System to determine if metformin reduces AAA progression.

Pursuit Vascular, Inc., manufacturer of ClearGuard HD Antimicrobial Barrier Caps, has announced that the company has received both (CE) Mark and Medical Device Single Audit Program (MDSAP) certificates for its haemodialysis catheter caps, paving the way for launch in international markets. 

With “an indisputable association between depression and peripheral arterial disease (PAD)”—nearly a third of PAD patients experience comorbid depression or depressive symptoms—Joel Ramirez and Marlene Grenon here call for vascular interventionalists to take a more active role in their patient’s mental health: increasing the awareness of the links between these two conditions, recognising the symptoms of depression, and referring patients to a mental health specialist where appropriate

BD has announced the launch of their UltraScore 014 Focused Force percutaneous transluminal angioplasty (PTA) Balloon. This marks the first scoring balloon with sheath compatibility as small as 4F on the US market.

Following the recent US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of Cook Medical’s Zenith Dissection Endovascular System, Cooper University Health Care in Camden, USA, has treated the first patient in the US with the device as part of Cook’s US commercial launch.

One-month dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) followed by 12 months of clopidogrel monotherapy leads to a greater reduction in bleeding events following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) compared to 12-month dual antiplatelet therapy, without an increase in ischaemia. Hirotoshi Watanabe (Kyoto University, Japan) announced findings on behalf of the STOPDAPT-2 investigators at a late breaking trial session at the American College of Cardiology’s (ACC 2019) 68th Annual Scientific Session (16–18 March) in New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.

Research presented at the European Society for Vascular Surgery’s annual meeting (ESVS; 25–28 September, Valencia, Spain) has shone a light on the potentially high cumulative radiation exposure associated with certain venous procedures. Addressing the issue, Stephen Black (Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospital, London, UK) called for further studies to identify strategies that can reduce radiation exposure, and highlighted the need for increased awareness among interventionalists.