Acutus Medical has announced the commercial launch of an expanded suite of left-heart access products to now include the AcQCross Qx system for use with the TruSeal and FXD delivery system for the Watchman left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) device (Boston Scientific).
Gaining access to the left atrium requires physicians to cross the septum, a multi-step process that often involves the exchange of wires and needles while trying to achieve the proper angle and location on the septum. AcQCross is a transseptal system engineered with an integrated needle and dilator to reduce these exchanges. With this clearance, Acutus now offers sheath-compatible transseptal access devices that cover 409,000 electrophysiology and structural heart procedures in the US.
“Crossing the septum at the proper location is important when doing any left-sided heart procedure, but it can be especially critical to the success of delivering Watchman to the left atrial appendage,” said Tom Waggoner (Tucson Medical Center, Tucson, Arizona). “With AcQCross, I can easily reposition without withdrawing or exchanging needles or wires, so its new compatibility with Watchman has made my procedures much safer for my patients and far more efficient for me and my team.”
AcQCross features an array of catheters that are length-, diameter- and tip-matched and designed to lock into the hub of market-leading sheaths used in the vast majority of left-heart procedures, including delivery of the Watchman. With the expanded product offering, physicians can utilise AcQCross with their preferred sheaths during virtually any left-heart access procedure, Acutus Medical said in a press release.
“The AcQCross system provides interventional cardiologists and electrophysiologists with unique benefits of broad compatibility with market-leading access sheaths while also enhancing procedure versatility and workflow,” said David Roman, interim chief executive officer and chief financial officer, Acutus Medical. “The expanded AcQCross product line allows us to bring this innovative technology to a wider range of procedure categories that should drive sustained growth in this portfolio.”
