Abbott has launched the Amplatzer Piccolo™ Occluder, the world's first medical device that can be implanted in the tiniest babies using a minimally invasive procedure to treat patent ductus arteriosus (PDA).
The device is included with the life-saving technology that provides new and optimally-sized treatment option to address critical need for the tiniest newborns, including premature infants.
The Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder device resembles smaller than a small pea.
The device offer hope to premature infants and newborns who need corrective treatment, and who may be non-responsive to medical management and high risk to undergo corrective surgery.
PDA, which is a potentially life-threatening opening between two blood vessels leading from the heart, is the most common congenital heart defects occurring in premature babies.
To allow oxygen-rich blood from the mother to circulate throughout the fetus' body, PDA is present in normally developing fetuses.
The duct or pathway seals itself shortly after birth, in most infants. In some cases, PDA fails to spontaneously close, which can make it difficult for babies to breathe normally due to increased blood flow to the lungs.
PDA accounts for up to 10 per cent of all congenital heart diseases.
The Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder is a self-expanding, wire mesh device that is inserted through a small incision in the leg and guided through vessels to the heart.
The device has been designed to allow the physician to insert it through the aortic or pulmonary artery, as well as to retrieve and redeploy the device for optimal placement.
The device is used in a minimally invasive procedure and is used for the premature babies who are critically ill in the neonatal intensive care unit are able to be weaned from artificial respirator support after the procedure.
The Amplatzer Piccolo Occluder device is one of the critical advancements to save the lives of premature babies.
