Mon Nov 19, 2012 10:27am EST
Nov 19 (Reuters) - St. Jude Medical Inc said on Monday that it had received approval from European health regulators to market its transcatheter aortic heart valve.
The 23mm (0.9-inch) device, called Portico, was approved for transfemoral delivery. That means the valve is implanted using a catheter that is threaded through the femoral artery, the main artery in the leg, sparing patients the need for open-heart surgery.
The product was designed for patients with severe aortic stenosis who are considered to be too high-risk for open-heart surgery. This disease keeps the aortic valve from opening fully, decreasing blood flow from the heart.
The St. Jude device would compete in Europe with similar products made by Edwards Lifesciences Corp and Medtronic Inc
St. Jude said it intended to initiate a European study of a 25mm version of the valve to support European approval before the end of the year.
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