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| The ability to place the balloon and/or the stent into difficult to access stenoses is of crucial importance for the therapeutic success of PTCA and/or stenting. An objective evaluation of these catheter characteristics, Pushabiliy/Trackability/Crossability, is rather difficult in clinical practice due to the diversity of operating conditions. Therefore, the goal of the procedure implemented at the Testing Laboratory is to allow for an objective comparison of the Pushabiliy/Trackability/Crossability characteristics of catheter and/or stent systems under standardized measuring conditions. |
The realized test set-up consists of a water-filled basin (37°C) into which a guiding catheter and a mock vasculature is placed. A linear drive unit maneuvers the catheter and/or stent system, which is running on a guide wire, through the mock vasculature. The reactive forces on the proximal end and the distal tip of the catheter are monitored continuously. The recorded force-distance curves are an objective characteristic for compare the trackability and pushability of different catheter products. They reflect important engineering and design parameters, such as friction, elastic modulus, crimped stent profile, etc.
It is also possible to rate the crossability of a catheter and/or stent system after integration of a stenosis model into the mock vasculature.
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