Cook Medical News

Key Findings from Unique Sex and Gender Symposium Help Advance the Development of Sex-Specific Medical Technology for Treating Vascular Diseases

Gail McDaniel — Wed, 1 Oct 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., October 1, 2008 – The “Impact of Sex in Vascular Diseases and Implications for Therapies” symposium uncovered a series of knowledge gaps related to the sex differences in vascular disease, its symptoms, risk factors and response to treatment. Conference recommendations could make a significant impact on the health care industry ranging from clinical trials to the development of medical technology and therapies. Preliminary findings reveal that the basic biological make up of the heart and blood vessels differs significantly between men and women and may have a direct and dramatic impact on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of heart attacks, strokes and other forms of vascular disease. Symposium faculty also report that reproductive hormones such as estrogen heavily influence the progression and treatment of vascular disease.

Greg MacMichael, Ph.D., joins Cook Pharmica as Vice President of Development, CSO

David McCarty — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., September 22, 2008 – Greg MacMichael, Ph.D. has joined Cook Pharmica, the global biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing division of Cook Medical, as vice president of development and chief scientific officer.

Cook Medical Evolves Percutaneous Tracheostomy Procedures with the Launch of Ciaglia Blue Dolphin—The World's First One-Step Percutaneous Tracheostomy Device

Anna Gueldenhaupt — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Limerick, Ireland, 9 August 2008 – Cook Medical today launches the Ciaglia Blue Dolphin™ Balloon Percutaneous Tracheostomy Introducer—the world's first one-step device for percutaneous tracheostomy procedures. Ciaglia Blue Dolphin minimises patient risk by combining balloon dilation and tracheal tube insertion. The first device that offers a one-step solution for elective tracheostomies, Ciaglia Blue Dolphin has been specifically designed in collaboration with experts in Critical Care medicine to decrease the risk of the three most common and immediate complications of percutaneous tracheostomy (PCT): bleeding, tracheal ring fracture and posterior wall injury.

Cook Medical Completes Enrollment in First International Trial of First-of-Its-Kind Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent

David McCarty — Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., September 10, 2008 – Cook Medical has completed enrollment in the first international clinical trial of a first-of-its-kind drug-eluting stent designed to treat arterial blockages outside the coronary arteries. The 420 patients enrolled in Cook's randomized trial of its Zilver PTX Drug Eluting Peripheral Stent include peripheral arterial disease (PAD) patients treated in Germany, the United States and Japan.

Cook Medical Announces Rapid Adoption of its Breakthrough EVOLUTION® Device Designed To Remove Faulty Pacemaker Leads

David McCarty — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., August 26, 2008 – Cook Medical today announced a significant milestone for its EVOLUTION® Mechanical Dilator Sheath technology, an innovative new tool designed to remove faulty, ineffective leads in patients with cardiac pacemakers. To date, 200 medical centers in the United States have adopted the breakthrough technology that utilizes venous entry during pacemaker lead extraction procedures. Cook's EVOLUTION has quickly proven to be an attractive alternative to current laser and other powered techniques as it is less invasive, more intuitive to use and approximately half the cost of laser-powered sheaths.

Cook Medical Announces the First Placement of Innovative Zenith® AAA Iliac Flex Legs in the UK

Lucie Smith — Tue, 26 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Limerick, Ireland, 26 August 2008 – Cook Medical, the established world leader in developing advanced technologies to treat diseases of the aorta, today announced the first-in-man placement of its innovative Zenith® AAA Iliac Flex Legs and Z-Trak Introduction System. The groundbreaking procedure was performed by Mr. David Ratliff, consultant vascular surgeon, and Dr. Davis Thomas, a radiologist specialising in vascular and non-vascular interventional radiology at Northampton General Hospital. The patient experienced no complications and has been discharged from the hospital.

Manchester Royal Infirmary Performs the World's 1000^th Endovascular Aorto-Iliac Aneurysm Repair Using the Zenith® Branch Iliac Endovascular Graft

Lucie Smith — Tue, 19 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Manchester, United Kingdom, 19 August 2008 - In a major landmark for advanced interventional technology to treat aortic disease, the Zenith® Branch Iliac Endovascular Graft has been used to treat the world's 1,000th patient undergoing endovascular treatment for an aorto-iliac or iliac aneurysm. Mr Ferdinand Serracino-Inglott, one of only 200 vascular surgeons performing this type of surgery in Europe, carried out the minimally invasive endovascular procedure at Manchester Royal Infirmary. The stent-graft used in this procedure was manufactured by Cook Medical, the global leader in endovascular therapy products for aortic aneurysms and dissections.

Cook Medical Drives Discussion on Peyronie's Disease with New Resources on MensHealthPD.com

Gail McDaniel — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., August 12, 2008 – In its ongoing commitment to remain at the forefront of physician and patient education, Cook Medical today announced that new resources are available on MensHealthPD.com including Q&A videos featuring three new expert physicians, updated medical research and multiple links to accredited industry sites. MensHealthPD.com is an educational microsite dedicated to providing physicians, men and their partners with information about the symptoms, treatment options and latest research on Peyronie's disease, a common form of erectile dysfunction affecting more than 1.4 million men in the United States.

Cook Medical Receives FDA Approval to Market Improved Zenith® AAA Iliac Flex Legs and Z-Trak™ Introduction System

David McCarty — Mon, 4 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., August 4, 2008 – Further innovating the field of advanced aortic disease repair technologies, Cook Medical today announced approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to market its improved Zenith Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) Iliac Flex Legs and Z-Trak Introduction System, made for use with the Zenith Flex AAA Endovascular Graft. The products are designed specifically to provide increased flexibility and improved conformability in the aorta and iliac artery, a tortuous section of patient anatomy, for patients undergoing endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Cook Medical Announces Launch of Innovative New Iliac Legs: Zenith® AAA Flex Legs

David McCarty — Mon, 14 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Limerick, Ireland – Cook Medical, the established world leader in developing advanced endovascular technologies to treat diseases of the aorta, today announces the launch of its innovative Zenith AAA Iliac Legs with Flex Stent Gapping. This new product, which has received CE marking, is designed to have increased flexibility and improved conformability, easing its path through tortuous patient anatomy. European availability will begin in July.

HealthTrust Purchasing Group Signs Contracts with Cook Medical

David McCarty — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., June 18, 2008 – Cook Medical, a world leader in interventional medical technology, announced today it will have a significantly expanded vendor relationship with HealthTrust Purchasing Group, LP (HealthTrust), a group purchasing organization (GPO) committed to providing clinically recommended products and services at competitive prices. Cook Medical is now contracted to supply medical devices in the areas of peripheral diagnostics, peripheral intervention, vena cava filters and peripheral stents to HealthTrust's member facilities.

Interim Results for the Zilver^® PTX^™ Clinical Study from Cook Medical Show Promise for Improving the Treatment of Blockages in the Femoropopliteal Artery

David McCarty — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

San Diego, Calif., June 11, 2008 &$8211; The registry arm of a clinical study measuring the effectiveness of Cook Medical's Zilver^® PTX^™ Drug-Eluting Peripheral Stent (DES) in treating peripheral arterial disease (PAD) has yielded positive interim results, trial investigators reported at the 2008 SVS Vascular Annual Meeting last week. The findings, presented by Dr. Michael Dake, Professor of Radiology, Internal Medicine and Surgery and Chairman of the Department of Radiology at the University of Virginia Health System, reveal clinical improvement, excellent durability and fracture resistance, and high rates of event-free survival (EFS) and freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR). The Zilver stent exhibits no safety concerns, and results are better than expected for TASC class C and D lesions, occlusions, in-stent restenosis and lesions greater than seven centimeters (2.75 inches).

Cook Medical Enters Coronary Stent Market in Europe with New CoCr Stent

David McCarty — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Broomfield, Colo. – Global Therapeutics, the cardiology unit of Cook Medical, has received CE Mark approval for a new cobalt chromium bare metal coronary stent that company executives believe will fill a demand for non-drug eluting coronary stents among interventional cardiologists, the company announced today. The device, the Global Therapeutics GTX^® Coronary Stent System, is available immediately in the European Union and United Kingdom.

Eighth Annual MADRI Conference Promotes Discussion on Preventing Medical Device-Related Infections

David McCarty — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, IN – June 10, 2008 – The Multidisciplinary Alliance Against Device-Related Infections (MADRI) hosted its eighth annual conference June 6-8, 2008 in Lansdowne, VA where leading infection specialists presented on a variety of topics, including research goals in epidemiology and infection control, legal perspectives on MRSA and catheter-related blood stream infections (CRBSIs). The event focused on identifying medical advances for the treatment and prevention of medical device-related infections, utilizing appropriate surgical interventions for patients with device-related infections and addressing the regulation of surface-modified medical devices.

Cook Medical Announces FDA 510(k) Clearance of Evolution® Controlled Release Esophageal Stent System

David McCarty — Mon, 9 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

San Diego, Calif., May 19, 2008 – At the Digestive Disease Week Conference today, Cook Medical announced that it has been granted 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use of the Evolution® Controlled Release Esophageal Stent System. Designed to improve the quality of life for patients with esophageal cancer, Evolution employs the first and only stent delivery system that enables deployment and recapturability of the stent with unprecedented precision. The ability to place the stent precisely the very first time may reduce the need for repeat procedures.

Cook Medical Announces First-In-Man Use of Next Generation Aortic Aneurysm Endograft and Delivery System

David McCarty — Tue, 3 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., June 3, 2008 – Cook Medical, the established world leader in developing advanced technologies to treat diseases of the aorta, announced another breakthrough with its first-in-man use of a radically smaller endograft system. The successful case was the first human use of Cook's new Zenith Low Profile AAA Endograft System. Early reports indicate the new system, which has been simplified to eliminate the top cap and uses more highly compressible Z-stent bodies instead of the existing stents used in the current Zenith Flex endografts, exceeded physician expectations.

Eighth Annual MADRI Conference to Address the Treatment and Prevention of Medical Device-Related Infections

David McCarty — Tue, 27 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, IN, May 27, 2008 – The Multidisciplinary Alliance Against Device-Related Infections (MADRI) will host its eighth annual conference June 6-8, 2008 in Lansdowne, Virginia. The event will focus on identifying medical advances for the treatment and prevention of medical device-related infections and addressing the regulation of surface-modified medical devices.

Cook Medical Receives FDA Approval for Advanced Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm Endovascular Graft

David McCarty — Fri, 23 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., May 22, 2008 – In a move that dramatically expands Cook Medical's already industry-leading portfolio of advanced devices to treat aortic diseases, company officials announced Cook has received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for its Zenith TX2 Thoracic TAA Endovascular Graft. The state-of-the-art aortic endograft is designed for thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR), a minimally invasive alternative to traditional, open surgery. The Zenith TX2 is indicated to treat patients with aneurysms or ulcers of the descending thoracic aorta having vascular morphology suitable for endovascular repair.

Foothills Medical Centre Adopts Newest Technology for the Removal of Pacemaker Leads

David McCarty — Fri, 16 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

Bloomington, Ind., May 16, 2008 – Foothills Medical Centre, a leading medical centre for treating patients with cardiac rhythm and pacing conditions in Calgary, Alberta, has become the first facility in Canada to use an innovative new technology for the removal of pacemaker leads that simplifies this potentially challenging medical procedure.

Cook Medical Launches EVOLUTION®- Shortie Mechanical Dilator Sheath Set for Vessel Access Associated with Lead Extraction

David McCarty — Wed, 14 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT

San Francisco, Calif., May 14, 2008 – In the latest of its advancements to cardiac lead extraction technology, Cook Medical today launched the EVOLUTION®-Shortie Mechanical Dilator Sheath Set, a natural adjunct to the company's EVOLUTION mechanical extraction sheath technology. The enhanced technology, designed to provide physicians with an advanced tool for venous entry during cardiac lead extraction procedures, was unveiled today at Heart Rhythm 2008 in San Francisco, Calif.