Millar Announces New Mikro-Cath™ Disposable Pressure Catheter

HOUSTON, TX - May 26, 2010 - Millar Instruments, Inc. has recently introduced the new Mikro-Cath™ pressure catheter, a single-use catheter that brings Millar's world-renowned sensor technology into the clinical cath lab at a price point affordable for everyday use.

The Mikro-Cath catheter provides physicians with a simple device to measure hemodynamic cardiac pressures in the human body, which promotes a better understanding of cardiac health for medical research and diagnostic purposes. With this new catheter, physicians are able to obtain high-fidelity pressure signals from the heart or vascular system, improving their confidence in the data quality.

This new catheter offers many advantages over the traditional fluid-filled catheters, which can be compared in Table A.

Table A
Mikro-Cath Catheter	Traditional Fluid-Filled Catheter
High fidelity – frequency response > 10 KHz	Attenuation – frequency response < 25 Hz
Fluid-free – no flushing required	Tedious flushing required to remove air bubbles
No time delay	Time delay
Free from motion artifacts	Motion artifacts – catheter whip, catheter impact, end pressure
Accurate dP/dT	Unreliable dP/dT
True pressure readings regardless of patient and/or bed position	Gravitational effects on zero; frequent re-zero required

The Mikro-Cath 3.5F model offers versatile pressure measurement for a variety of applications including LVP, RVP, PCWP and aortic valve gradient pressures. The catheter is indicated for use as a minimally invasive device under short-term limited body contact less than 24 hours. Typical application will be through the femoral artery with the use of an additional guiding catheter.

The Mikro-Tip® sensor eliminates the need for an external pressure transducer and removes the associated tubing. As a result, procedure time is reduced because setup is minimized and there is no need to de-bubble the fluid line.

Additionally, the catheter is shipped sterile to eliminate logistical concerns of resterilization.

This combination of affordability, reduced procedure time and sterility allows physicians to bring Mikro-Tip accuracy back into routine cath lab procedures.

About Millar Instruments
Since 1971, Millar Instruments, Inc. has been a pioneer in the development of pressure-sensing technology and has directed its design and manufacturing expertise toward integrating that technology into catheters for life science applications. Millar is committed to providing both clinicians and researchers with the most precise tools available for obtaining specific physiological signals.

Mikro-Cath and Mikro-Tip Catheter Transducers are trademarks of Millar Instruments, Inc.


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