Medical device firm St. Jude Medical has received approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its FlexAbility Ablation Catheter.

Tip

Featuring new ablation technology, the catheter has been developed for electrophysiologists to treat cardiac arrhythmias.

St. Jude Medical clinical, medical and scientific affairs vice-president Srijoy Mahapatra said: "As we developed the FlexAbility ablation catheter, we worked with leading electrophysiologists to ensure this ablation technology would advance the treatment of complex arrhythmias.

"Our development goal was to leverage the unique flexible tip and combine it with optimal performance and maneuverability, especially during the most challenging clinical cases."

The new catheter aggregates a bendable irrigated catheter tip with an advanced handle and next generation shaft design, which allows effective lesion formation.

Ablation catheters such as FlexAbility catheter, are thin and flexible wires used to treat irregular heartbeats that impair the heart’s ability to effectively pump blood throughout the body, noted St. Jude.

The new ablation technology will also help to provide optimal irrigation flow over the entire tip for improved cooling and reduce risk factors associated with the delivery of therapy.

FlexAbility catheter also received CE mark approval in 2013.

The TactiCath Quartz contact-force sensing irrigated ablation catheter was approved and commercially available in Europe since 2012 and the US since 2014, to treat paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (AF).


Image: St. Jude Medical has obtained FDA approval for FlexAbility Ablation Catheter. Photo: courtesy of St. Jude Medical, Inc.