Medtronic Launches Telescope Guide Extension Catheter for Use in Complex Coronary Cases

May 16, 2019—Medtronic announced the global launch of its first device in the guide extension catheter market. The Telescope guide extension catheter provides interventional cardiologists with additional backup support and access to distal lesions in percutaneous coronary interventions.

According to Medtronic, the Telescope guide extension catheter is designed for the challenges of complex interventional cardiology cases, such as patients with tortuous anatomies, calcified vessels, and distal lesions, to help deliver coronary stents, balloons, and other interventional devices during angioplasty procedures.

The Telescope guide extension catheter combines a solid, round pushwire with a coil-reinforced, hydrophilic-coated distal segment to help reach challenging lesions with improved pushability and deliverability. The device also features a flexible TruFlex soft polymer tip designed to responsively bend and deflect during use. When the Telescope device is in position near the target lesion, its SmoothPass technology helps to smoothly channel stents, balloons, and other interventional devices into place.

Ajay Kirtane, MD, Director of the NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Cardiac Catheterization Laboratories in New York, New York, commented in Medtronic's announcement, “It is not an exaggeration to say that guide extension technologies have greatly impacted the ability to deliver devices to the distal coronary vasculature, especially for cases where traditional guide support may be limited In this light, the Telescope—a guide extension catheter with specific design optimizations aiming to stably deliver devices through tortuous anatomy—is a welcome addition to the interventional toolbox.”