Medical device maker Boston Scientific (BSX +0.83%) announced recently that it has begun launching new sizes of its Rubicon Support Catheter in the United States. New 0.035" and 0.018" diameter catheters are aimed to help support guidewires for placing stents and other peripheral vascular products in patients suffering from complications of peripheral arterial disease.
Peripheral arterial disease, or PAD, affects around 27-million people around the globe, according to Boston Scientific. The disease can create blockages in blood vessels, leading to cramps, pain, or even amputation of limbs.
Boston Scientific Peripheral Interventions president Jeff Mirviss commented on the use of the company's new products, saying: "Support catheters can help physicians treat more patients by facilitating the crossing of complex lesions... By making a full range of diameters of Rubicon Support Catheters available, we are offering more choices to clinicians."
Previously, Boston Scientific had offered the Rubicon catheter in only a 0.014" diameter model. The newer widths will allow physicians more flexibility in treating a wider range of symptoms.
