Medtronic announced the first implant in a clinical trial in Japan that will evaluate the safety and effectiveness of its CoreValve system.
The successful procedure in the trial was led by Yoshiki Sawa, Department of Cardiovascular Surgery at Osaka University Hospital, Japan. “With the number of aortic valve stenosis patients steadily rising as the Japanese population ages, we consider this an important step towards the introduction of a new therapeutic option to the healthcare system,” said Sawa.
The CoreValve system provides a minimally invasive treatment option for patients with symptomatic, severe aortic stenosis who are at high risk, or are ineligible, for open-heart surgery. In the United States, the CoreValve System is currently limited to investigational use.
Medtronic also received approval from the Korea Food & Drug Administration (KFDA) for the CoreValve system in October.
Recently, first implants of the CoreValve system took place in Thailand and Singapore (January 2011), China and Hong Kong (December 2010), and Taiwan (September 2010).
