Shockwave Medical announced the full U.S. commercial availability of the Shockwave L6 peripheral intravascular lithotripsy (IVL) catheter following clearance by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
A press release details that the Shockwave L6 catheter is purpose-built to modify calcification in otherwise difficult-to-treat lesions in large peripheral vessels, including the iliac and the common femoral arteries.
“The Shockwave L6 catheter pushes the boundaries of what IVL can help physicians achieve for patients with severe peripheral arterial disease,” said Frank Arko, MD, from Sanger Heart and Vascular Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina.
“The characteristics of the new catheter allow physicians to optimize IVL therapy in large peripheral vessels, which represent over 20% of peripheral interventions performed in the U.S. each year. The Shockwave L6 catheter may also be beneficial when IVL is utilized to facilitate transfemoral access for large-bore procedures like TAVR [transcatheter aortic valve replacement], TEVAR [thoracic endovascular aortic repair] and EVAR [endovascular aortic repair] to minimize the risks of rupture and dissection.”
