Terumo Launches Glidesheath Slender Sheath for Transradial PCI

July 30, 2013—Terumo Interventional Systems (Somerset, NJ) announced the launch of the Glidesheath Slender device, a hydrophilic-coated introducer sheath specifically designed to deliver larger devices through a smaller radial access. With a smaller insertion profile, the device is designed for smaller arteries to allow more patients to enter the transradial treatment pathway for percutaneous coronary interventions (PCI). The company noted that a recently published, company-sponsored study found that hospitals in the United States could experience approximately $50 million in cost savings annually by performing transradial PCI rather than transfemoral PCI.

Steven P. Marso, MD, served as Principal Investigator of the study. Dr. Marso is Professor of Medicine at the University of Missouri in Kansas City and cardiologist at Mid American Heart Institute of Saint Luke's Health System. Dr. Marso commented in the Terumo press release, “Transradial access is clearly an efficacious medical treatment strategy. Many studies have demonstrated the clinical benefits of transradial access, such as reduced bleeding and substantially lower patient length of stay. However, our study takes it one step further by demonstrating an overall hospital cost savings exceeding $800 per PCI. These savings increased to $1,621 in patients at higher risk for bleeding. Annually, a hospital performing 1,000 PCIs could save an additional $80,000 to $160,000 for every 10% increase in their transradial procedures.”

The study by Amit P. Amin, MD, et al is available online ahead of print in Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions. A brief summary of the study is available in the News section of Cardiac Interventions Today.