European Regulators Approve Silk Road Medical’s Transcarotid Neuroprotection System

Silk Road Medical Inc. has received CE Mark approval for its next-generation ENROUTE Transcarotid Neuroprotection System (NPS). 

The ENROUTE NPS remains the only device specifically designed and indicated for TransCarotid Artery Revascularization (TCAR), a clinically proven procedure combining surgical principles of neuroprotection with minimally invasive endovascular techniques to treat blockages in the carotid artery at risk of causing a stroke, according to the company. In partnership with treating physicians and based on feedback from more than 700 TCAR procedures, the ENROUTE NPS was enhanced and upgraded to provide physicians with an even more dependable and easy-to-use system to treat their patients in the safest manner possible. The ENROUTE NPS allows the physician to directly access the common carotid artery in the neck and initiate high rate temporary blood flow reversal to protect the brain from stroke while delivering and implanting Silk Road’s ENROUTE Transcarotid Stent.

The first TCAR procedures with the new ENROUTE NPS were recently performed in several European hospitals including the Virgen de la Salud Hospital in Toledo, Spain; Klinikum rechts der Isar (Technische Universität München) in Munich, Germany; Augusta Krankenhaus in Dusseldorf, Germany; John Paull II Hospital in Krakow, Poland; and Gent University Hospital in Gent, Belgium.

“We have been working to improve the safety profile of carotid revascularization through the development of the TCAR procedure, and this latest design of the ENROUTE NPS for TCAR is state-of-the-art,” said Dr. Antonio Orgaz, chief of Vascular Surgery from Virgen de la Salud Hospital. “We were extremely impressed with the smooth, atraumatic entry of the sheath into the carotid artery and the more ergonomic design of the overall system. It is easy to use and inspires confidence.”

“Whereas elsewhere in the body we routinely use minimally invasive endovascular techniques to treat vascular disorders, carotid artery disease is one of the last frontiers that is still treated primarily by an invasive surgical approach,” said professor Ralf Kolvenbach, director of the Department of Vascular Surgery and Endovascular Therapy at Augusta Krankenhaus. “This is because techniques used during carotid surgery are very good at protecting the brain during the procedure. With the ENROUTE NPS we can leverage surgical principles of neuroprotection like avoiding unprotected maneuvers, maintaining exquisite control of the carotid bifurcation and blood flow, and removing embolic fragments of any size. But we can now do it in a less invasive manner that mitigates the risks of surgical complications like cranial nerve injury and wound complications while providing the patient with an aesthetic result and a quicker recovery.”

Based in Sunnyvale, Calif., Silk Road Medical develops transcarotid therapies for intra and extracranial vascular disease treatment.