Baylis Medical VersaCross Large-Access Solution Used in First Clinical Case in Canada

August 25, 2021—Baylis Medical announced the first clinical use of the company’s VersaCross large-access solution in Canada. Jacqueline Saw, MD, an interventional cardiologist in Vancouver, Canada, performed these first Canadian in-human cases using the VersaCross large-access solution during a left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) procedure with the Amplatzer Amulet occluder (Abbott). Dr. Saw also successfully completed an LAAC procedure using the new VersaCross with the Watchman implant (Boston Scientific Corporation).

“When getting to the left atrium for my LAAC procedure, speed and simplicity are key,” commented Dr. Saw in the company’s press release. “The new VersaCross large-access solution allows me to simplify and expedite the procedure for delivering an LAAC sheath into the left atrium. The seamless dilator design optimizes tissue dilation, making crossing the septum smooth like butter.”

According to Baylis Medical, the new VersaCross large-access solution includes a three-in-one radiofrequency (RF) wire paired with a seamless shapeable dilator designed to optimize tissue dilation for large sheath procedures, including LAAC, transcatheter mitral valve repair, RF ablation, and several emerging left-sided therapies.

The new solution features a seamless large-access transseptal dilator with a sleek profile and no dilator-sheath transition; the device optimizes tissue dilation for large-sheath access at both the femoral vein and through the atrial septum. After dilation, the 0.035-inch RF wire is instantly deployed and facilitates seamless delivery of large-bore therapeutic sheaths to the left atrial appendage.

On July 29, the company announced that the first clinical use of the VersaCross large-access solution was performed during a cryoballoon ablation procedure with the Arctic Front Advance device (Medtronic) by Devi Nair, MD, an electrophysiologist at White River Medical Center in Batesville, Arkansas.