Concentric Medical Launches DAC® 070, A New Distal Access Catheter

MOUNTAIN VIEW, California, July 25, 2011 /PRNewswire/ --

Concentric Medical, Inc., the global leader in devices for clot removal in ischemic stroke patients and distal access solutions, today announced the launch of the DAC® 070 Catheter. The DAC 070 Catheter is the fourth and largest diameter addition to the DAC family, making it the most complete family of distal access catheters commercially available.

The DAC Catheter was the first in a new class of catheters known as distal access catheters. The DAC Catheter was designed to help physicians navigate challenging anatomy in the brain and provide stability during neurovascular procedures.  Stability and ease of navigation are important to keeping interventional procedures both safe and short.

Concentric Medical pioneered this new class of catheters with the introduction of the first DAC, the DAC 044, in August 2008. The DAC 044 was originally designed to provide distal navigation and neurovascular stability during clot retrieval procedures in patients experiencing ischemic stroke. With the launch of two additional sizes in 2009, the DAC 038 and the DAC 057, the DAC Catheters quickly proved themselves as an invaluable tool in making many interventional neurovascular procedures easier. With the launch of the DAC 070, Concentric Medical now offers the broadest selection of sizes to support a wide variety of neurovascular procedures. The DAC 070 offers the stability of the original DAC Catheters with the added benefit of a larger lumen through which physicians can deliver multiple therapeutic devices.    

After his initial experience with the new DAC 070, Dr. Adnan Siddiqui, Director of Neurosurgical Research and Stroke Services at the University of Buffalo in Buffalo, New York said, "The DAC 070 is a nice addition to the family.  Not only does it provide the key design benefits of a smaller DAC, but the larger lumen allows for the introduction of multiple devices while maintaining good lumen integrity.  The balance of stability and flexibility make this catheter uniquely helpful in a variety of cases including some in the venous vasculature."

Maria Sainz, President and CEO of Concentric Medical, said, "The feedback and experience with the DAC family of Catheters in Europe and North America is extremely positive. DAC has become an important segment of our business.  This technology is truly in a class of its own. Concentric is proud to be leading the way with this unique catheter and offering a broad selection of lengths and diameters to meet most case needs. We are committed to bringing innovative neurovascular tools to clinicians globally."

Following his initial cases with the DAC 070, Dr. J. Mocco, a neurointerventionalist at Shands Hospital in Gainsville, Florida said, "The DAC family of catheters represents a unique and powerful tool for neurovascular procedures.  The full array of sizes and lengths make this technology helpful in many clinical situations.  In my experience, DACs provide the critical stability and support needed to make previously challenging cases easier and improve patient outcomes."

About Concentric Medical

Concentric Medical is located in Mountain View, California, and was founded in August 1999. The company manufactures and markets the Merci Retrieval System®, which is a minimally invasive device delivered by a neurointerventionalist into the brain to restore blood flow by removing blood clots that cause ischemic stroke. The Merci Retrieval System is available in over 250 leading stroke centers around the world, and has been the subject of two successful clinical trials, MERCI and Multi MERCI. Concentric Medical estimates that over 15,000 patients have been treated with its devices. For more information about Concentric Medical, please visit http://www.concentric-medical.com.

About the DAC Catheters

The DAC family of catheters is the only complete line of catheters specifically designed to provide distal navigation and stability in interventional neurovascular procedures. Commercially available for over three years, the DAC Catheters have been widely used worldwide in procedures, including AVM embolization, aneurysm coiling, intracranial stent delivery and as a support device in acute ischemic stroke procedures that are performed with the Merci Retrieval Device.

Media Contact:
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strokeinfo@concentric-medical.com