Medical devices manufacturer Boston Scientific has introduced Axios stent and electrocautery enhanced delivery system to manage two severe complications from pancreatitis via a minimally invasive endoscopic approach.

Axios

The Axios system will assist physicians in endoscopic management of pancreatic pseudocysts and several types of walled-off pancreatic necrosis.

The conditions interpret two types of pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs), which take place in 5% to 16% of patients with acute pancreatitis and 20% to 40% of patients with chronic pancreatitis.

Physicians can use the Axios electrocautery-enhanced catheter to gain access to the PFC, under endoscopic ultrasound (EUS) guidance.

Later, the Axios stent will be deployed that facilitates drainage of the PFC by creating a temporary channel between the PFC and the gastrointestinal tract.

The large flanges on each end of the lumen-apposing stent decrease the risk of leakage and migration.

Axios system inventor Kenneth Binmoeller said: "The Axios stent and electrocautery enhanced delivery system provide a simpler and faster treatment option for patients.

"We can now provide an endoscopic solution that provides immediate relief for these patients using one device in a single setting."

Earlier this month, Boston Scientific received FDA approcval for its Blazer open-irrigated (OI) radiofrequency ablation catheter to treat Type I atrial flutter, an abnormal rhythm of the upper chambers of the heart.


Image: The Axios system combines a cautery-enabled access catheter with the Axios stent. Photo: courtesy of Boston Scientific Corporation.