Sam Brusco, Associate Editor10.31.23
Cardio Flow, developer of minimally invasive devices to treat peripheral artery disease (PAD), has completed its first commercial cases using its FreedomFlow orbital atherectomy platform.
FreedomFlow gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in late September. The initial cases were performed by Drs. Craig Walker, Pradeep Nair, and McCall Walker of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) at the Terrebonne General Health System.
FreedomFlow treats plaque blockages in the legs. The company says the tech offers better versatility to treat multiple arteries and multiple blockages in the same vessel, with a single device.
The first patient treated at Terrebonne had complex arterial anatomy and multiple blockages with extensive calcium, including a chronic total occlusion.
Dr. Pradeep Nair, MD, an interventional cardiologist in Houma, La. Commented to the press: “Peripheral arterial blockages are extremely common, especially in our patients with heart disease. This new technology allows us to treat a wide range of blockages effectively from the ankle to the hip, with the goal of saving limbs—and ultimately our patients’ lives and the quality of those lives.”
FreedomFlow’s catheter-based design uses diamond-coated spheres to sand the blockage, leveraging the physics of angular momentum to keep the spheres in constant contact with the vessel wall, whether the device is advancing or retracting.
Dr. Kallok stated: “We are at a pivotal point at Cardio Flow, and expanding our leadership team in preparation for significant growth is paramount as we launch and scale the organization. We believe Scott has the operational and commercial expertise to improve organizational efficiencies and operational strategy to achieve our ambitious goals of delivering a portfolio of innovative endovascular solutions for PAD patients.”
FreedomFlow gained U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance in late September. The initial cases were performed by Drs. Craig Walker, Pradeep Nair, and McCall Walker of the Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) at the Terrebonne General Health System.
FreedomFlow treats plaque blockages in the legs. The company says the tech offers better versatility to treat multiple arteries and multiple blockages in the same vessel, with a single device.
The first patient treated at Terrebonne had complex arterial anatomy and multiple blockages with extensive calcium, including a chronic total occlusion.
Dr. Pradeep Nair, MD, an interventional cardiologist in Houma, La. Commented to the press: “Peripheral arterial blockages are extremely common, especially in our patients with heart disease. This new technology allows us to treat a wide range of blockages effectively from the ankle to the hip, with the goal of saving limbs—and ultimately our patients’ lives and the quality of those lives.”
FreedomFlow’s catheter-based design uses diamond-coated spheres to sand the blockage, leveraging the physics of angular momentum to keep the spheres in constant contact with the vessel wall, whether the device is advancing or retracting.
Scott Kraus Promoted to COO
Cardio Flow CEO Michael Kallok, Ph.D. announced the promotion of VP of sales and marketing Scott Kraus to chief operating officer for the company. Previously, Kraus worked at Abiomed (acquired by J&J)where he was a zone general manager. Prior to that, he worked in executive leadership roles at Cardiovascular Systems (CSI—acquired by Abbott), Intact Vascular (acquired by Philips), and Intersect ENT (acquired by Medtronic).Dr. Kallok stated: “We are at a pivotal point at Cardio Flow, and expanding our leadership team in preparation for significant growth is paramount as we launch and scale the organization. We believe Scott has the operational and commercial expertise to improve organizational efficiencies and operational strategy to achieve our ambitious goals of delivering a portfolio of innovative endovascular solutions for PAD patients.”