Volcano has received clearance to market the Eagle Eye Platinum digital IVUS catheter in Japan, and is planning to introduce the device in the second quarter of 2011.
The catheter offers all of the benefits of the predecessor Eagle Eye Gold catheter, plus improved deliverability and the convenience of additional radiopaque markers.
The Eagle Eye Platinum is the third generation of catheters in the Eagle Eye product line, which offers fast, plug-and-play functionality as well as grayscale IVUS, VH IVUS, and ChromaFlo imaging modalities.
Volcano Japan president and managing director Junichi Osawa said the more tapered tip design of the Eagle Eye Platinum catheter, with lower entry profile and new GlyDx hydrophilic coating, facilitates guidance of CTO procedures, and the smoother lower profile catheter transitions improve delivery through smaller guides.
"This can help facilitate radial access, an approach common in Japan and growing elsewhere in the world due to reduced bleeding complications," Osawa said.