Brendan McLaughlin and Robert Pendlebury, PhD | Praxis Medical Devices Ltd
Competition Sponsor: EIT Health
Awardee Year: 2020
A chronic total occlusion (CTO) is a complete blockage of an artery. Attempts to unblock CTO’s have been plagued with difficulties because of their complexity and lack of adequate devices for the Clinician. In particular, the hard, calcified proximal cap, that forms on the face of the occlusion is extremely difficult to penetrate with the current tools available to Clinicians.
CapBuster is a new revolutionary device that utilises standard angioplasty tools and techniques, with the addition of nano-sized, micro screw-thread technology, that provides an engineering solution that is simple, fast, cost-effective, low risk, with a high degree of penetration, with precise control, with minimal training required for the Physician and no capital equipment required for the hospital.
This patented simple but ingenious engineering “mechanical advantage” solution has never been used in angioplasty, or indeed any medical device.
The benefits of using minimally invasive techniques include reduced risk of infection, early mobilization, reduced hospitalization costs, improved quality of life and longer survival rates.
In a recent “First-in-Man” procedure performed in Switzerland performed by Key Opinion Leader Dr. Jos van den Berg), the CapBuster device was used to unblock occlusion in the anterior tibial artery providing a much improved quality of life for the patient.
The CapBuster device will begin a Clinical Study later this year for “below-the-knee” occlusions and then develop a device for the coronaries using the same unique patented technology.
There are approximately 1.8m CTO’s diagnosed each year and a potential market size of €1.6 billion.
To learn more about this proposal, email healthylongevity@nas.edu.