Corindus Starts Robotic Angioplasty Study

Corindus Vascular Robotics has initiated an ongoing study aimed at collecting data on the patterns of use, safety and effectiveness in the delivery and manipulation of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) devices. Dr. Giora Weisz, associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Medical Center, will lead the study.

The study is called the PRECISION registry.

“Although manual PCI procedures are a widely accepted practice, I believe there is an opportunity for improvements to be made in stent size selection and precision movements that can only be offered with robotic assistance,” said Weisz. “We have seen initial clinical indications linked to the benefits of robotics during the CorPath PRECISE clinical trial, published recently, and with the launch of the PRECISION registry, we expect to see continued trending towards improved clinical output resulting from the routine practice of robotics during PCIs.”

According to Coridus officials, the company’s CorPath 200 System is the first and only technology cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) that enables “precise, robotic-assisted angioplasties to open arteries and restore blood flow in patients with coronary artery disease.”

During a CorPath angioplasty procedure, the interventional cardiologist sits in the radiation shielded interventional cockpit. Using a robotic system, the interventional cardiologist advances stents and guide wires via a joystick with millimeter-by-millimeter precision. CorPath may improve clinical outcomes by enabling precise measurement of the anatomy, which could potentially lead to better stent placements, company officials claims.

“Corindus is committed to engaging clinical research and providing evidence-based claims related to the benefits of robotic angioplasty,” said David Handler, president and CEO of Waltham, Mass.-based Corindus Vascular Robotics. “We’ve established the PRECISION registry as a tool for gathering valuable data and insight on PCI procedures and the impact of robotic angioplasties on improved patient outcomes and increased physician safety.”

As a result of the increasing interest in the CorPath System, Corindus Vascular Robotics has grown its patent portfolio to include more than 30 issued patents worldwide. Additionally, following FDA clearance in July last year, Corindus increased its workforce, including an expansion of its sales team, and has recently relocated its office to a larger facility.