Global healthcare company Abbott (NYSE:ABT) announced on Thursday that it has received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval and CE Mark for its Amplatzer Piccolo Delivery System, which is used with its Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder.

The new delivery system is designed specifically for the treatment of premature babies (some weighing as little as two pounds) with a hole in the heart known as a patent ductus arteriosus (PDA). It is claimed to be the world's first and only minimally invasive, transcatheter treatment approved to close a PDA in premature infants with this common congenital heart defect.

Evan Zahn, MD, professor of cardiology and paediatrics and director of the Guerin Family Congenital Heart Program at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, California, said: "Abbott's new Amplatzer Piccolo Delivery System is a transformative step forward in how we treat PDA in premature infants. The new delivery system simplifies the implant procedure because only one catheter is needed instead of multiple, and a shorter and softer design allows for more precise device positioning in these tiny babies. Doctors can treat this group with more confidence, reducing the risk of adverse events and improving the long-term outlook for this uniquely vulnerable patient population."