Medtronic and Spectranetics release new products

Recently introduced drug-eluting stent

In February 2008, Medtronic’s Endeavor® Zotarolimus-Eluting Coronary Stent became the first drug-eluting stent to hit the US market since 2004. It received US FDA approval after an extensive research period that included 7 different trials and over 10,000 patients. The Endeavor is small and flexible with a mesh-like tube built of a cobalt-based metal that is coated with zotarolimus, an anti-inflammatory agent that is a semisynthetic derivative of rapamycin. The stent

features a polymer coating on the surface, is biocompatible, and mimics the patient’s red blood cell chemistry. Endeavor also features thin cobalt alloy struts and an open cell design.

For more information, visit www.EndeavorStent.com or contact Medtronic at

(763) 514-4000.

Lead removal device

Spectranetics has developed and

re

leased the LLD EZ Lead Locking Device

for the removal

of nonfunctioning or infected pacing

and defibrillation leads. The LLD EZ allows physicians to grip the entire lead and uses a braided mesh that expands to secure leads along their hollow inner lumen, which allows steady traction to be applied, enabling lead removal. The locking mechanism can be reversed, or unlocked, if the physician needs to remove the device from the

lead or reposition it. The LLD EZ can adapt to a wide range of lead sizes and features a radiopaque tip design, which enables the verification of the tip’s location when under fluoroscopy. The device’s low-profile and sleek handle allow for easier loading of the sheaths. The LLD EZ is often used with the Spectranetics Laser Sheath (SLS II), which uses “cool” ultraviolet light to dissolve the scar tissue that is binding the leads.

For more information, visit www.spectranetics.com or call Spectranetics at (800) 633-0960.