Teleflex (NYSE:TFX) announced today that it received FDA clearance for its Wattson temporary pacing guidewire for use in heart procedures.
Wayne, Pennsylvania-based Teleflex says it’s the first commercially available bipolar temporary pacing guidewire designed specifically for use during TAVR and BAV. The company plans to feature Wattson at TVT: The Structural Heart Summit, June 7-10 in Phoenix.
Wattson features dual functionality, supporting both valve delivery and ventricular bipolar pacing. It offers a procedural alternative to help avoid a variety of complications, steps and costs associated with right ventricular pacing.
Teleflex said it designed Wattson with a flexible distal pigtail shape and multiple electrodes for bipolar capabilities. It helps reduce the risk of ventricular perforation while providing confidence in capture during rapid pacing.
The company intends to launch the Wattson temporary pacing guidewire in a limited market release phase. Teleflex then plans for a full market release later this year.
“This technology enables us to provide physicians with a new tool specifically engineered to address unmet clinical needs frequently encountered during TAVR or BAV procedures,” said Jake Newman, president of the Americas at Teleflex. “The Wattson temporary pacing guidewire reflects our focus on purposeful innovation and commitment to providing more options to further simplify minimalist TAVR and other structural procedures.”