Pi-Cardia’s ShortCut Device Used in FIH Procedures

January 7, 2021—Pi-Cardia Ltd. announced the successful first-in-human procedures with its ShortCut device, which is intended to provide coronary access and prevent coronary obstruction during transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

According to the company, the ShortCut device is designed to split the leaflets of a pre-existing valve to enable safe TAVR in patients at risk for coronary obstruction or compromised coronary access.

The first ShortCut procedures were performed by Danny Dvir, MD, at Shaare Zedek Medical Center in Jerusalem, Israel. Dr. Dvir was the first physician to perform Basilica procedures to prevent coronary obstruction in TAVR.

“Using ShortCut we were able to treat two extremely complex patients with degenerated valves that needed a solution to prevent coronary obstruction after TAVR,” commented Dr. Dvir in the company’s announcement. “In both patients we were able to effectively split the leaflets within minutes, allowing for a safe implantation of both self-expanding and balloon-expandable TAVR valves.”

Dr. Dvir continued, “ShortCut addresses an unmet need for a simple tool to prevent coronary obstruction, which I strongly believe can easily be adopted by all TAVR centers. I can also see ShortCut being used to prepare bicuspid valves in selected cases, by splitting the fused leaflets or tricuspidizing the bicuspid valves, enabling an optimal TAVR result in this patient population.”