Catheter that helps deliver stents in tough heart arteries
Official title: Catheter for Complex Percutaneous Coronary Intervention
Funded at Vantis Vascular INC · NIH-11261185 · Data updated 2026-11-12
A new guide-extension catheter system is being developed to safely reach and treat complex blockages in the heart’s blood vessels, especially where calcified and tortuous arteries make stent delivery hard.
Quick facts
| Grant type | Sbir 2 grant |
|---|---|
| Study type | NIH-funded research |
| Funding institution | Vantis Vascular INC NIH-funded |
| Lab location | 1 site (Kalamazoo, United States) |
| Project start | July 20, 2020 |
| Project end | January 31, 2027 |
| Funding year | 2026 |
| Award (this year) | $997,212 |
| NIH project number | 5R44HL152835-06 |
| Project ID | NIH-11261185 on NIH RePORTER |
Who could benefit from this research
✓Could help
Ideal candidates are adults with complex calcified or tortuous coronary lesions that complicate stent delivery.
✕Less likely to help
Patients with straightforward lesions or those not undergoing PCI may not directly benefit.
What this research studies
This project aims to make complex heart procedures easier and safer by using a novel guide extension catheter that can reach very tortuous and calcified arteries and support balloon pre-dilatation and seamless stent delivery. Researchers will design and test the catheter components to reduce risks like vessel dissection and plaque embolization. The work centers on translating a device from development to real-world use in catheter-based interventions. Patients with complex coronary disease could benefit if this technology improves success rates and lowers complication risks.
Why it matters
Potential benefit: If successful, patients with complex coronary artery disease could undergo safer, more effective stent delivery during PCI.
How similar studies have gone: Prior generations of guide extension catheters improved certain cases, but the novel multi-functional design aims to expand access to challenging anatomies.
Where this research is happening
-
Vantis Vascular INC
Kalamazoo, United States Active
Researchers
- Principal investigator: Fischell, Tim Alexander — Vantis Vascular INC
- Study coordinator: Fischell, Tim Alexander
Related research
Other NIH-funded projects on the same topics.
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Metasurface Optical Guidewire to Treat Coronary Artery Calcification
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-
Expansion of PCI use in different communities and who benefits
Aims to understand how the growth of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in outpatient and inpatient settings affects disadvantaged communities differently from non-disadvantaged ones.
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Catheter that helps treat complex heart artery problems more safely
A new catheter device is being developed to help doctors deliver stents in very hard-to-treat heart artery cases, potentially making complex procedures safer and more effective.
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How expanding artery-opening (PCI) procedures affects disadvantaged versus other communities
This project looks at whether expanding artery-opening procedures (PCI) in hospitals and outpatient centers has helped or left behind people from disadvantaged communities with heart disease.
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A new catheter designed to improve complex heart procedures
This study is testing a new type of catheter designed to help doctors place stents more easily and safely in patients with severe heart artery blockages, especially when the arteries are tricky to navigate.
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Using electronic health records to identify complications after heart procedures
This study is working on a smart way to spot problems that can happen after a common heart procedure called PCI, using computer programs to look at health records, so that doctors can better keep you safe and provide the best care possible.
About this research
- This is an active NIH-funded research project — typically early-stage science, not a clinical trial accepting patient enrollment.
- Some NIH-funded labs run parallel clinical studies or seek volunteers for related work. To check, contact the principal investigator or institution listed above.
- For full project details, budget, and progress reports, visit the official NIH RePORTER page.