Abbott is rolling out the latest iteration of its Navitor transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) system, the Navitor Vision valve, across the UK and Ireland.
The Navitor Vision valve is a minimally invasive device that allows doctors to treat patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme surgical risk for open-heart surgery. Abbott’s latest device is designed to help doctors implant more precisely and at the intended depth, by enhancing the visualisation of the valve deployment during a TAVI procedure.
TAVI is a treatment option for aortic stenosis, a condition that affects nearly 300,000 people in the UK. It occurs when the aortic valve’s opening narrows, restricting blood flow to the body. Left untreated, it can lead to heart failure and other lethal heart conditions.
In a TAVI procedure, a catheter is inserted into a major blood vessel in the upper leg and guided toward the aortic valve. This can put less strain on the body compared to open heart surgery, as the heart does not need to be stopped and no large incision to the chest is required.
The Navitor Vision valve is offered in a range of sizes to treat native annulus diameters from 19 mm to 30 mm, with a sealing cuff that actively synchronises to the patient’s cardiac cycle and seals against even the most challenging anatomies. This makes it the biggest TAVI valve size delivered through the smallest delivery system available on the NHS according to the company.
Matt Scrivener, Abbott’s Country Manager for Structural Heart, UK and Ireland, said: “For patients with severe aortic stenosis who are at high or extreme surgical risk, due to the potential complications stemming from age, frailty, or comorbidities, it’s great to now be able to offer their doctors across the UK and Ireland an option which offers stable delivery, remarkable performance, and is built for the future.
“The Navitor Vision valve can help to reduce symptoms and improve the lives of patients with aortic stenosis, through higher levels of precision and visibility during deployment.
“Aortic stenosis is such a debilitating condition for so many people in the UK and our goal is to continue to develop technologies like this that enable people to live the best lives they can.”