Vena Medical completes first U.S. cases with ultra-small intravascular camera system

Vena Medical has completed its first U.S. commercial procedures using the Vena MicroAngioscope System, a direct intravascular imaging device that the company says features the world's smallest camera, capable of providing live, color visualization from inside blood vessels.

The procedures were performed at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) by Peter Kan, M.D., professor and chair of neurosurgery, and Chris Young, M.D., assistant professor of neurosurgery. UTMB is the first U.S. health care institution to commercially adopt the system.

How the device is being used

The UTMB team has completed seven cases so far, beginning with a carotid artery stenting procedure. The system is designed to give physicians a real-time view from inside the vasculature, allowing them to directly image complex lesions and assess stent placement and stent-vessel interaction during interventions.

"The device provides real-time, intravascular colour visualization, which we used to directly assess the target lesions and observe the placement of the stents during the interventions," Kan said in a statement.

The commercial launch follows a multi-year research collaboration between Vena Medical and Kan, who has authored four peer-reviewed publications related to the technology. That body of work includes first-in-human clinical data published in the American Heart Association's Stroke journal.

U.S. market entry

The limited market release comes on the heels of Vena Medical's FDA 510(k) clearance and the opening of a $4.5 million manufacturing facility in Kitchener, Ontario, which the company said will allow it to scale production for the U.S. market.

"Dr. Kan has been a pioneering partner for years, helping us validate this technology through rigorous academic research and multiple publications," said Michael Phillips, co-founder and CEO of Vena Medical. "To now see the device in his hands in our first U.S. commercial cases, impacting real patients, is a gratifying achievement for the entire Vena Medical team."

The company, co-founded by Phillips and Phil Cooper while at the University of Waterloo, is headquartered in Kitchener, Ontario.