2009-11-23 13:10:05 -

HUDSON, NH -- (Marketwire) -- 11/23/09 -- Atrium Medical Corporation announced that the 100th patient was enrolled in the iCAST(TM) Atrium Registry Ultrasound Study (iCARUS). The iCARUS study is a prospective, multi-center clinical trial studying the safety and efficacy of the Atrium iCAST(TM) Balloon Expandable Covered Stent : in patients with occlusive disease in the iliac artery. This first of its kind premounted "balloon expandable covered stent" US trial is approved by the FDA under an investigational device exemption.



Iliac artery occlusive disease is one form of Peripheral Arterial Disease (PAD). PAD affects over 8 million people in the United States. Patients with PAD typically present with symptoms known as claudication or rest pain. Claudication is a sharp cramp like pain in the legs that occurs when walking or exercising. Rest pain is defined as "continued pain" or "painful cramping" of the legs immediately following exercise or when a patient is resting. This lower extremity leg pain is caused by decreased blood flow to areas of the leg which occurs due to a narrowing of the blood vessels. This narrowing is a result of atherosclerosis (build up of plaque and cholesterol) along the luminal walls of peripheral arteries, including the common iliac, external iliac, femoral and popliteal vessels.



In the study the iCAST(TM) Balloon Expandable Covered Stent : is being used to re-open a narrowing in the diseased iliac artery. This landmark study, with Dr. John R. Laird as the primary investigator from UC Davis Vascular Center in Sacramento, CA, is designed to study 225 patients enrolled at 25 centers who present symptoms of iliac artery occlusive disease. The primary endpoint of this study is the incidence of target lesion revascularization (TLR) and restenosis (amount of re-narrowing of the treated blood vessel) at 9 months and 30-day death rates. The 100th patient was enrolled by Dr. Heron Rodriguez at Northwestern Hospital in Chicago, IL.



About the Atrium iCAST(TM) Balloon Expandable Covered Stent :


Atrium's proprietary Balloon Expandable Covered Stent is a PTFE film encapsulated stainless steel stent that is pre-mounted onto an extraordinary low profile balloon catheter. The covered stent balloon catheter delivery system is compatible with a 0.035" guidewire. The Atrium patented PTFE film covering has been carefully engineered to help minimize and reduce the hyperplastic response typically seen with "bare" metal (non-covered) stents, and to minimize tissue prolapse through the struts of the stent following deployment along the lumen of the vessel. The Atrium iCAST(TM) Balloon Expandable Covered Stent : is currently an investigational device in the United States for the treatment of iliac artery disease and is currently FDA approved for the treatment of tracheobronchial strictures.



About Atrium


Atrium's vast expertise in medical device technologies for the treatment of coronary and vascular disease, chest trauma, hernia and soft tissue injury has brought a number of breakthrough advances in several diversified healthcare markets including interventional cardiology and radiology, chest trauma care and thoracic drainage, vascular surgery, and general surgery.
Maintaining a commitment to the latest ISO13485 Quality Standards, state-of-the-art manufacturing and automation, cell biology and biomaterial discovery programs, Atrium continues to excel in those healthcare segments that require more advanced surgical intervention for improvements in patient outcomes. For more information please call Atrium's Marketing Communications Dept. at 1-800-370-7899 or visit Atrium's website at www.atriummed.com : .

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For more information please call Atrium's Marketing Communications Dept.
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