Spectranetics has announced successful completion of the first live case using the TightRail rotating dilator sheath performed by Charles Love. The procedure, according to the company, represents a significant milestone as Spectranetics readies the TightRail tool for full launch later this month.
“I was very pleased with how TightRail handled and tracked through the vasculature,” says Love. “It easily passed through occlusions in the chronically occluded innominate vein and superior vena cava. These included areas that had some calcification. We easily and safely achieved the clinical goal. TightRail had no effect on the non-targeted leads in our experience.”
Love also accomplished one of the first lead extraction cases in the United States using the SightRail manual dilator sheath. SightRail and TightRail represent Spectranetics’ expansion of its portfolio to include manual extraction tools that complement the company’s laser-based technology and provide a broader range of options for extracting physicians.
According to Love, the additional inner sheath offset length that SightRail offers was especially helpful during the procedure. SightRail is also differentiated by visual indicators that show bevel orientation and tip alignment, supplementing fluoroscopy as a means of determining position and orientation.