UK Hospital is the First in Europe to Place BiO2 Medical, Inc.'s Combined Triple Lumen CVC/IVC Filter, Known as the Angel™ Catheter, in a Critically Ill Patient to Protect From Life-Threatening Pulmonary Embolism
SAN ANTONIO, March 11, 2013/PRNewswire/ -- BiO2 Medical, Inc., a Texas based medical device manufacturer with corporate offices in San Antonio, Texas, and R&D and manufacturing operations in Golden, Colorado, is pleased to announce the first placement of their triple lumen Angel Catheter in the European Union. The Angel Catheter is a Nitinol (Nickel Titanium alloy), Inferior Vena Cava (IVC) filter, permanently attached to a central venous catheter (CVC) for the use of preventing Pulmonary Embolism (PE) in critically ill patients. Placed at the patient's bedside without the need for fluoroscopy, the Angel Catheter provides immediate protection from PE and is the first IVC filter to receive CE Mark approval for prophylactic indications.
In the UK more than 25,000 people die annually from hospital-related blood clots, with pulmonary embolism responsible for 10% of all deaths in hospital. In the United States, various sources state that anywhere between 200,000 and 300,000 people die annually from Pulmonary Emboli.
Dr. Carl Waldman, Consultant Anaesthetist & Intensive Care, Royal Berkshire NHS Trust, was quoted on BBC Radio as saying, "the new device can have a dramatic impact on most patients in intensive care who cannot be given anti-blood clotting medications."
He continued to say, "I think it has potential all over the world as a temporizing measure for critically ill patients.This new procedure can be carried out within an hour of the patient arriving in intensive care and takes only 15 minutes."
Additionally, research nurse Ellen Bowley, who was part of the team who placed the device in Mrs. Carter stated, "There is nothing like this, it is very exciting, and it could save thousands of lives."
According to Christopher E. Banas, BiO2 Medical's Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, "We believe that this innovative union of two relatively common medical devices, will provide physicians with an additional tool to protect a population of patients from hospital related PE, that are currently left with no other options. Dr. Angel and our team of engineers developed this technology to offer immediate Pulmonary Embolism protection for ICU patients during the critical unprotected window, while simultaneously allowing for lifesaving fluid and medication administration."
For more information regarding BiO2 Medical and the Angel Catheter, please visit www.bio2medical.com.
SOURCE BiO2 Medical, Inc.