$50,000 Grant Progress Update At Annual Pediatric Innovation Expo

Procyrion

HOUSTON, TX (February 12, 2015) - Less than a year after being awarded a $50,000 grant from the National Capital Consortium for Pediatric Device Innovation for its catheter-deployed circulatory assist device Aortix™, Procyrion, Inc. today presented a progress update on its novel technology, which has been modified for use in children born with single ventricle heart defects.

Omar Benavides, Ph.D., a senior product development engineer with Procyrion, presented results from the first large animal study completed with the modified circulatory assist device under the grant at the Consortium’s 2nd Annual Pediatric Device Innovation Competition held at the University of Maryland.

“Thanks to the generous support from the Consortium, we’ve been able to conduct a large animal proof-of-concept study to further investigate the feasibility of using a modified Aortix device to clinically manage hemodynamics in single ventricle physiologies associated with the Fontan procedure. The results are quite promising,” says Benavides.  

Aortix, a small, continuous-flow pump delivered via catheter through the femoral artery to the descending thoracic aorta, functions by accelerating a portion of the native aortic flow resulting in reduced work of the heart and increased blood flow to vital organs.  For this pediatric indication, a modified two-pump version of the Aortix device is deployed via catheter with one pump positioned in each of the inferior and superior venae cavae to boost venous return and pulmonary flow. 

Procyrion was selected as a 2014 grant awardee based on clinical significance of the pediatric device, approach to product development, likelihood of being marketed successfully, project team, environment, resources, and potential for additional funding.

ABOUT PROCYRION
Houston-based medical device firm Procyrion, Inc. is developing the first catheter-deployed, intra-aortic pump for ambulatory use.  The device is designed to rest and heal the heart by reducing afterload while simultaneously improving blood flow to vital organs. This groundbreaking cardiology tool, conceived by cardiologist Dr. Reynolds M. Delgado, III, medical director of Mechanical Support Devices in Heart Failure at the Texas Heart Institute, is expected to provide a minimally invasive treatment option for millions of chronic heart failure patients.  For more information, visit www.procyrion.com or call 713.579.9227.

 

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FOR INFORMATION:
Anna Drake
Penman PR
713.510.0500
anna@penmanpr.com

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