26 December 2017 - - The first implants have occurred in Europe using Newark, Delaware-based global materials science company W. L. Gore and Associates, Inc.'s Gore Viabahn VBX Balloon Expandable Endoprosthesis (VBX Stent Graft) to restore blood flow to peripheral arteries, the company said.
The new device is designed for use in the treatment of iliac occlusive disease and also during endovascular aneurysm repair.
The first patients were treated at St. Franziskus Hospital in Münster, Germany.
The VBX Stent Graft recently received CE mark approval and is indicated for endovascular grafting of peripheral vessels.
The patients who received the VBX Stent Grafts presented with iliac occlusive disease and also complex aortic aneurysms treated with branched aortic endograft (BEVAR).
The VBX Stent Graft, developed utilizing the small diameter ePTFE stent graft technology from the Gore Viabahn Endoprosthesis, is configured in a range of diameters from 5 to 11 millimeters and lengths of 15, 19, 29, 39, 59, and 79 millimeters to cover a range of treatment needs.
It does not require pre-dilation, which reduces the number of balloons required, and the longer lengths reduce the need to use multiple stents for extensive lesions, both of which also contribute to procedural cost savings.
Gore Medical Products Division engineers devices that treat a range of cardiovascular and other health conditions. Product performance, ease of use, and quality of service provide sustainable cost savings for physicians, hospitals, and insurers.
W. L. Gore and Associates is dedicated to transforming industries and improving lives by solving complex technical challenges -- from revolutionizing the outerwear industry with Gore-Tex fabric to creating medical devices that improve and save lives to enabling new levels of performance in the aerospace, pharmaceutical and mobile electronics markets, among other industries.
The company employs approximately 9,500 associates and generates annual revenues that exceed USD 3bn.