December 14, 2011 — Aptus Endosystems Inc. announced it received 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the Aptus EndoStapling System, which will now be known as the HeliFX Aortic Securement System. Aptus develops technology for endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR).
The innovative helical anchor technology enables independent endograft fixation, and is designed to mimic the hand suturing performed during open surgical repair of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA). Aortic aneurysms are an enlarged and weakened section of the aorta, the main artery carrying blood from the heart, which can be lethal if left untreated.
Each year, an estimated 200,000 people in the United States and 100,000 people in Europe are diagnosed with AAA. In EVAR — an alternative to open surgical repair of AAA — a minimally invasive catheter-based system is used to implant a metal and fabric endograft to isolate blood flow away from the aneurysm to prevent potential rupture and death.
The HeliFX System provides physicians with a novel technology to repair endovascular grafts that have migrated away from the implant site or have developed endoleaks. The system is also indicated for those at risk of developing these complications, which are commonly seen after EVAR. In such cases, augmented fixation and/or sealing is required to regain or maintain effective aneurysm exclusion. The system also can be used during de novo (initial) EVAR procedures to enhance an endograft’s inherent fixation and sealing mechanisms.
“Long-term failure is arguably the primary impediment to defining EVAR as the new gold standard in aortic aneurysm treatment,” said David Deaton, M.D., associate professor of surgery and chief, vascular and endovascular surgery, Georgetown University Hospital, Washington, D.C. “The ability to achieve the physical equivalent of hand-sewn, open surgical repair with the HeliFX system represents not only a fundamentally new endovascular capability, but a possible solution to the vexing problem of late migration and proximal neck dilation that are major causes of late EVAR failure and aneurysm rupture.”
“The HeliFX system is a leap forward in EVAR technology,” said Manish Mehta, M.D., associate professor of surgery, Albany Medical Center, Albany, N.Y. “The system has applications in preventing as well as managing stent graft migration and type 1 endoleaks. It truly is a new advancement that gives us the ability for precise placement of anchors that attach the stent graft to the aortic wall and enhance fixation, particularly in short and/or angulated aortic necks.”
The system received CE Mark for use in the European Union in May of this year. Approval in the United States allows HeliFX to be used with Cook Zenith, Gore Excluder, and Medtronic AneuRx, Endurant, and Talent endografts in both initial implant and secondary repair settings. Use with other endografts has not been evaluated to date.
For more information: www.aptusendosystems.com
October 30, 2023 
