Johnson & Johnson has announced the US launch of its Shockwave C2 Aero Fly coronary intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) catheter, designed to treat a broad range of calcified coronary artery lesions.
According to a company press release, the next-generation catheter builds on the improvements delivered in the Shockwave C2 Aero platform. It delivers pulses at double the speed and halves the pause time between pulsing cycles, while maintaining the safety and effectiveness of prior-generation catheters.
“Shockwave C2 Aero Fly is built for the future of coronary interventions, where physicians need proven technologies that can help them move faster without compromising safety or confidence in challenging calcified cases,” said Mike Lang, worldwide president, Circulatory Restoration, MedTech, Johnson & Johnson. “As the pioneer and leader of the category, Johnson & Johnson is giving physicians and patients an increasingly efficient, predictable platform designed to meet the growing demands of complex coronary care.”
“In the cath lab, every second matters, especially as we see more complex cases and higher procedure volumes,” said Hector Tamez Aguilar, interventional cardiologist at Piedmont Healthcare in Atlanta, USA. “By delivering pulses twice as fast and decreasing pause time between cycles, Shockwave C2 Aero Fly enables faster workflows, helping physicians treat calcified coronary disease more efficiently while meeting the growing pace and demand of cath labs.”
Pulses are delivered at 2Hz, cutting treatment time from 230 seconds with previous generations of IVL to 115 seconds. Pause time between pulsing cycles is reduced to five seconds, shortening wait times between cycles by 50%. The company adds that the lower balloon inflation time minimises temporary procedure-related blood flow blockage and patient ischaemic symptoms, such as chest pain. The catheter also builds on the deliverability, crossability and repositioning capabilities of the Shockwave C2 Aero.
“During IVL treatment, balloon inflation temporarily blocks blood flow, and that time matters for patient care,” said Karim Al-Azizi, medical director of the Structural Heart Program and Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories at Baylor Scott & White Health in Plano, USA. “Shockwave C2 Aero Fly raises the bar for coronary interventions by making procedures easier for physicians and less strenuous for patients. Its shorter balloon inflation and pause time reduce ischaemic time and related symptoms for patients, enabling better, quicker and more streamlined care.”
