ATS Medical, Inc. announced that the company's ATS CryoMaze 10-S Surgical Cryoablation Probe was commercially used for the first time to address the treatment of cardiac arrhythmias. Niv Ad, MD, Chief of Cardiac Surgery at the Inova Heart & Vascular Institute in Falls Church, Virginia performed the cryoablation procedure.
ATS CryoMaze 10-S Probe features a linear cryoablation probe which is more rigid than the present ATS CryoMaze Probes. The increased support throughout the length of the 10-S probe addresses the preference of some surgeons to have more probe leverage to achieve contact with targeted tissue that is difficult to access. Its increased stiffness will optimize the shape retention of the malleable probe that is particularly useful in minimally invasive procedures.
The 10-S probe leverages the second generation, argon-based ATS CryoMaze System which quickly achieves the coldest probe temperatures for cardiac arrhythmia surgery. The argon-based cryoablation system reaches probe temperatures of -160 degrees C compared to first generation nitrous-oxide systems which only reach temperatures of -65 degrees C. Especially in clinical situations in which varying tissue thickness is the rule, the colder probe temperatures provide deeper, faster lesions yielding greater confidence that transmural, linear lesions are being achieved.
ATS CryoMaze Probes can be easily manually shaped without any need of a tool to control the radius of the bends. Intraoperatively, the probe tip can be repeatedly re-shaped to meet the different anatomic requirements of the individual patient and procedure. The bellows design of the ATS CryoMaze Probes facilitates this durable probe malleability without fractures and/or kinking.
The ATS CryoMaze System is very well equipped for minimally invasive stand-alone surgery for atrial fibrillation. The new, more rigid 10-S probe is a great addition that makes it easier to apply lesions and complete full biatrial Maze-III procedures, said Dr. Ad.
The ATS CryoMaze 10-S Probe is another example of ATS Medical’s commitment to cardiac surgery and the cardiac arrhythmia market. We are driving innovation in this segment to improve ease of use and decrease procedure times. Under guidance of our ATS Cryoablation Surgical Advisory Board, we will continue to advocate complete, biatrial Maze-III lesion sets to achieve the best possible patient outcomes. The surgical approach continues to demonstrate excellent clinical outcomes in treating cardiac arrhythmias, said Michael Dale, President and CEO of ATS Medical.