March 5, 2003

New Release of TERUMO PTCA Dilatation CATHETER RX-1(Petname "Ryujin"), with excellent trackability and crossability (a catheter that can cross easily through the affected part of a clogged blood vessel.)

Terumo Corporation (headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; President: Takashi Wachi) has launched the Terumo PTCA dilatation catheter RX-1 (Petname: Ryujin) on March 6, 2003. This new catheter is used to treat angina and myocardial infarction, which result from blocked or narrowed coronary arteries. The catheter is available at a suggested retail price (the insurance reimbursement price) of 218,000 yen per unit. The target sales is 12,000 units in fiscal 2003 in Japan.

Today, more than 1,000 medical facilities in Japan practice PTCA^* in 150,000 cases a year. Among the cases to which PTCA has been applied, there were difficult cases where blood vessels are narrow and tortuous or completely clogged. In such cases, it took an extended time for the PTCA dilatation catheter to reach the lesion. Sometimes, two or more catheters were used.

Even in those cases where catheter operation is difficult, Ryujin can reach the target legion quickly and safely. For improvement of the crossability, the distal shaft of Ryujin has been processed with a helical groove (See the attached photo.). This groove gives Ryujin the strength to push forward while maintaining its flexibility.

* PTCA (percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty) is a therapy in which a catheter with a balloon at the distal tip is inserted into a blood vessel in the leg to reach the affected part of the heart, where the balloon is inflated to dilate the clogged portion of a blood vessel. Since PTCA is performed from inside the blood vessel, the therapy is physically less invasive for patients, compared to a bypass operation in which the patient's chest has to be opened up.

Features of Ryujin

1. The helical groove processing adopted for the distal catheter shaft
   In the process of seeking a catheter performance that improves trackability and crossability , helical groove processing has been engineered for the distal shaft of the catheter. This groove structure gives the catheter the strength to push forward while maintaining its flexibility.
2. Small balloon size availability
   The new balloon has a wider product range that starts from 1.25 mm, in addition to 1.5 mm of the conventional balloon, allowing the catheter to be used for various cases and techniques.
3. Hydrophilic polymer on the spearhead portion of the catheter (See photo).
   The hydrophilic polymer coating increases the lubricating property once it comes into contact with blood. Thus, the polymer coating on the catheter shaft ensures smooth catheter operation even in tortuous blood vessels.

Photo for reference

Product name: Terumo PTCA dilatation catheter RX-1 Insurance redemption price: 218,000 yen

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