Medtronic Receives FDA Approval for MicroDriver Stent

Minneapolis-based Medtronic, Inc. announced it has received US Food and Drug Administration approval for the MicroDriver coronary stent system, a bare metal system designed specifically to perform in small vessels and tortuous anatomies.
    Based on the popular Medtronic Driver stent platform, the MicroDriver stent has a rounded, modular design for excellent deliverability. The ultralow crossing profile helps physicians access the difficulttoreach lesions often encountered in patients with small vessels.
    “This stent fulfills an essential need that we have in cardiology,” said Michael Ball, M.D., St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis and the Heart Center of Indiana. “When you do small vessel stenting, you want the stent to be small and you want it to be flexible. That’s the whole idea behind MicroDriver. It conforms well to the anatomy and allows you to take care of more lesions. I think more patients should be able to benefit from this technology.”
    Even with the rapid acceptance of drugeluting stents (DES) during the last three years, bare metal stents still play a critical role in the medical practice of interventional cardiologists. Many physicians choose bare metal stents for patient care in smallvessel cases, and the MicroDriver stent offers them an important treatment option.
    “A stent can be effective only if it gets to the lesion. MicroDriver is highly deliverable and is designed specifically for easeofuse in these types of patients,” said Sean Salmon, Medtronic vice president and general manager of Medtronic Vascular’s coronary business. “We believe there always will be an important role for bare metal stents, especially when they can address specific clinical needs as this stent does.”
    Made from an advanced cobalt alloy that is more radiopaque than stainless steel, the MicroDriver stent replaces the Medtronic S660 stainless steel model. MicroDriver is available in diameters of 2.25 mm, 2.50 mm and 2.75 mm, and lengths of 8, 12, 14, 18, and 24 mm, and on both overthewire and Medtronic MX(2) delivery platforms.