Philips introduces OmniWire, the world’s first solid core pressure guide wire for coronary artery interventional procedures
Philips has introduced OmniWire, the world’s first solid core pressure wire for coronary artery interventional procedures.
Its breakthrough solid core construction enables physicians to more easily manoeuvre the wire in the patient’s circulatory system to measure blood pressure along the vessel and guide the delivery of catheters and stents.
The new wire supports iFR (instant wave-Free Ratio) measurements, the only resting index supported by randomized controlled outcome trials, as well as FFR (fractional flow reserve) measurements. It also integrates with the Philips IntraSight interventional applications platform, which can co-register iFR data onto the angiogram to precisely identify the parts of vessels requiring treatment.
Traditional pressure wires use a hollow metal tube (hypotube) to house the wiring that transmits the pressure information. Due to their thin walls, these wires can be challenging to manoeuvre and can sometimes kink, potentially becoming damaged during the procedure. OmniWire is the world’s first solid core pressure guidewire, using advanced conductive ribbons embedded in its outer polymer layer to communicate pressure information. The distal part of the wire is made from Nitinol, a super-elastic, durable material that is commonly used in non-diagnostic, interventional ‘workhorse’ guide wires. The proximal part of the wire is constructed from a highstrength cobalt alloy that provides the high durability required for complex and multi-vessel cases.
Commenting on the device, Dr. Jasvindar Singh, director of the catheterization lab at Barnes Jewish Hospital and associate professor at Washington University in St. Louis, U.S., who performed the first human case with OmniWire in the United States, said: “I have been very impressed with the handling of OmniWire, the new solid core design performed beautifully, and I was able to navigate the difficult case easily. We used iFR co-registration and found that the patient needed a stent. I was then able to perform the whole procedure working over OmniWire. This is truly an innovation in percutaneous coronary interventions.”
OmniWire has received clearance from the U.S. FDA and approval from the Japan Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency.
