SinuSys, a sinus health company, has received the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for its Vent-Os sinus dilation system, designed to resolve sinusitis symptoms in a simple, two-step interventional procedure.
The device enables low-pressure, gradual dilation of the maxillary sinus ostia, which is intended to maximize patient tolerability of the procedure in an office setting under local anesthesia. The company plans to commercialize the device immediately in select markets in the US.
Unlike balloon dilation devices that use rapid, high-pressure inflation, the Vent-Os sinus dilation system is a small, low-pressure, self-expanding insert designed to gently and gradually open the maxillary ostia.
The Vent-Os system incorporates the company’s proprietary osmotic technology, which utilizes the body’s natural mucosal fluids to expand the insert before removal. In an office setting, patients can be comfortably relocated to the waiting room between insertion and removal of the device.
The Vent-Os system achieved post-procedural patency in 95% of the sinus ostia treated in a multi-center study and submitted as part of the company’s FDA application; five percent of the treated ostia could not be visualized.
In the study, the Vent-Os device was inserted into the maxillary sinus opening at the beginning of the procedure and removed after 60 minutes. No adverse events occurred during insertion or removal of the device.
Three-month follow-up was completed in 33 patients (55 ostia), with 93% of the treated ostia remaining patent and 7% that could not be visualized. No ostia were reported to be occluded. According to the company, 15% of patients in the study were treated in an office setting after pre-procedural injection of anesthesia; no additional anesthesia or medication was required for these patients for the duration of the procedure.
This is in contrast to balloon dilation devices, which often require administration of anxiolytics, analgesics and/or additional local injections of anesthetics during the procedure to increase patient tolerability. The remaining patients were treated in the operating room adjunctive to functional endoscopic sinus surgery.
SinuSys CEO Tom Schreck noted with the Vent-Os system, it was the company’s intent to design a device that solved the current clinical challenges with treating sinus disease in a way that was easy for both physicians and their patients.
"Our maxillary sinus device is showing initial clinical success and we look forward to developing the same simple, gentle technology for use in other sinus anatomy," Schreck added.
The FDA cleared the Vent-Os sinus dilation system for dilation of the maxillary sinus ostia and associated spaces in adults for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. The Vent-Os system has also received the CE Mark, Health Canada license and Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) certificate, and is currently being commercialized in those regions.