St. Jude Medical, Inc. has launched in US an advanced catheter for placing guidewires during catheterization procedures. The Venture Wire Control Catheter was designed to give cardiologists more control and support as they steer guidewires during interventional cardiology procedures such as stenting and angioplasty.

The Venture catheter features a deflectable tip that can bend up to 90 degrees, allowing for guidewire placement in hard-to-reach branches of the coronary and peripheral anatomy.

According to a company release, the catheter's coiled torque shaft provides back-up support, giving the physician more focused "pushability" and providing greater control when crossing a full range of lesions, from narrowed vessels to chronic total occlusions, where lesions completely block the vessel. With Venture, some patients may now be treated through minimally invasive procedures, rather than having to undergo bypass surgery.

"Venture represents a significant technological advance in the portfolio of therapeutic access devices available to cardiologists," Paul R. Buckman, president of St. Jude Medical's Cardiology Division said adding, "This device helps cardiologists efficiently place wires in the cath lab, rather than sending patients to the operating room where costs and risks can be higher."

In the US, more than 1 million catheter-based coronary procedures are performed each year. The most common challenges for these procedures include highly angulated takeoffs (up to 90 degrees), arteries with multiple turns, and chronic total occlusions.

St. Jude Medical expanded its cardiology portfolio through the April 2005 acquisition of Velocimed, a Minnesota-based company with three product platforms for interventional cardiology, including the Venture catheter. The Venture catheter is also commercially available in Europe and Canada.