May 15, 2013 — Vascular Solutions Inc. announced that it has re-launched the Venture catheter, a deflectable-tip catheter used to provide guidewire directional control in challenging coronary and peripheral interventional procedures. The device is available immediately in the United States and expected to become available in select international markets over the next few months.
The Venture catheter's deflectable atraumatic distal tip can be angled up to 90 degrees, providing physicians with control and precision while navigating complex turns in the vessel and lending back-up support when crossing tight lesions. The Venture catheter is available in three versions: rapid-exchange (RX) and over-the-wire (OTW) models for difficult coronary and peripheral cases and a specialized coronary sinus version for directing wires in left-ventricular lead placement in bi-ventricular implantable defibrillator procedures. All three versions are 6 French guide-compatible and are used with standard 0.014-inch guidewires.
As previously announced, Vascular Solutions acquired the Venture catheter from St. Jude Medical Inc. in August of 2012. Since the acquisition, Vascular Solutions sold the remaining limited inventory and completed the installation and validation of the Venture production equipment and processes in its manufacturing facility. While the catheter was in full commercialization under St. Jude Medical, the Venture catheter was generating $3 million in annual worldwide sales, including approximately $2 million in U.S. sales. Vascular Solutions intends to rebuild sales gradually to those levels, with the expected sales ramp already incorporated into the company's financial guidance for 2013.
"During more than seven years on the market, the Venture catheter has amassed a very impressive record of clinical utility in some of the most challenging interventional cases," said Howard Root, chief executive officer of Vascular Solutions. "The Venture catheter is an indispensible tool for physicians who perform complex interventions, and we are very pleased to once again make this catheter available. We believe the clinical community will welcome the return of the Venture catheter to the market as we see a significant amount of initial pent-up demand for this one-of-a-kind device."
"The acquisition of the Venture catheter is consistent with our strategy of pursuing tuck-in acquisitions that leverage our existing distribution network and established call points," Root added. "The addition of the Venture catheter also is part of our commitment to offering clinical solutions in complex interventions, such as we have done with our internally-developed GuideLiner guide extension device and SuperCross microcatheters."
The Venture catheter is indicated for directing, steering, controlling and supporting a guidewire to access discrete regions of the coronary and peripheral vasculature. The over-the-wire versions may also be used for manual delivery of saline solution or diagnostic contrast agents.
For more information: www.vasc.com
December 20, 2023 
