Filter System Protects Against Catheterization Emboli

A novel distal embolic protection system allows physicians to navigate challenging anatomies with confidence during minimally invasive catheterization procedures.

The Wirion filter system is a one-size embolic protection device that allows the physician to use any 0.014" guidewire throughout the entire procedure, covering vessels ranging between 3.5–6 mm in diameter. At the heart of the system is proprietary deliver, lock, and deploy (DLD) technology that enables in-situ locking of cardiovascular devices onto a standard guide wire, without affecting procedure workflow. The physician can thus lock the uniform, 120 μm pore filter anywhere along the wire, providing continuous blood flow while maintaining capture efficiency and optimal side branch protection, and without compromising wire support and stability.

The mechanism is remotely activated from the proximal end, locking and deploying the stand-alone filter onto the independent guide wire, creating an in-situ embolic protection unit. Once the stent procedure is completed, the filter is removed using a retrieval catheter which employs retractable tip technology, ensuring smooth deliverability across the stented area, particularly in tortuous anatomies and open cell design stents. The Wirion filter system is a product of Allium Medical (Caesarea, Israel), and has received the European Community CE marking of approval.

“The ability to cross the lesion over the guide wire of choice and then deploy the filter in place creates a unique, natural and appealing advantage for all indications,” concluded Dierk Scheinert, MD, who led the clinical trials of the device at the University of Leipzig (Germany) Heart Center. “Clinical outcomes appear to be favorable and the role of this new device in carotid artery stenting needs to be further confirmed in a larger patient population.”

During cardiovascular procedures, debris from the aortic valve, ascending aorta, and other sources may embolize and cause cerebral infarction. The cerebral damage may not be clinically evident after cardiovascular procedures and can take months or years for symptoms to manifest, often presenting as devastating stroke, dementia, and cognitive decline.

Related Links:
Allium Medical
University of Leipzig