Boston Scientific Launches a Steerable Sheath in the U.S.

Boston Scientific has announced the launch of its Z-Flex 270 steerable sheath in the United States. The sheath is intended for use in a wide range of electrophysiology procedures to facilitate the introduction and placement of diagnostic and therapeutic catheters within the heart. Such catheters are used to treat atrial fibrillation and other complex arrhythmias. Electrophysiology is the study and treatment of the heart’s electrical activities.

“The Z Flex-270 Steerable Sheath provides more than 270 degrees of tip deflection to allow access to difficult-to-reach areas in all four chambers of the heart. This high degree of bend, combined with a very responsive steering mechanism, should provide additional flexibility for maneuvering inside the cardiac space,” explained Bruce G. Hook, M.D., director of cardiac arrhythmia service at the Lahey Clinic Medical Center in Burlington, Mass.

Atrial fibrillation affects approximately 15 millions patients globally, and is characterized by abnormally rapid rhythm in the upper chambers of the heart. The typical treatments involve drug therapies that, for some patients, are difficult to tolerate due to their side effects. Though at this time Boston Scientific does not have any U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved cardiac ablation catheters, the devices are increasingly are becoming an alternative option for patients with atrial fibrillation.

Based in Natick, Mass., Boston Scientific is a developer, manufacturer and marketer of medical devices that are used in a range of interventional medical specialties.