Kaneka and Atrium Launch Xpress-Way™ RX Extraction Catheter in the U.S.

Kaneka Corporation and Atrium Medical Corporation are proud to announce the introduction of the Xpress-Way™ RX Extraction Catheter. Xpress-Way RX has recently received FDA 510K clearance and is indicated for the removal of fresh, soft emboli and thrombi from vessels in the coronary and peripheral vasculature. The Xpress-Way RX manual extraction catheter is manufactured by Kaneka Corporation (Osaka, Japan) and Atrium Medical Corporation (Hudson, NH) is the exclusive distributor of the Xpress-Way RX in the U.S.

Thrombus aspiration uses the suction force generated from a syringe to pull soft fresh thrombus from a vessel. Thrombus can form throughout the body, but manual thrombus aspiration catheter is commonly used in patients that have heart attacks.
The main cause of heart attacks is due to a plaque rupture in one of the major coronary arteries, which causes a blood clot to form reducing blood flow and depriving the heart muscle downstream of oxygen rich blood. Manual thrombus
aspiration catheter is one tool used by cardiologists to remove the blood clot and restore blood flow to the heart muscle.

About Xpress-Way RX
The Xpress-Way™ RX Extraction Catheter is an ultra low profile manual aspiration system designed for the removal of fresh, soft emboli, and thrombi in both coronary and peripheral vessels. Xpress-Way RX incorporates an innovative removable stylet and has been designed with enhanced pushability, anti-kinking, trackability, and crossability which allows for unmatched deliverability and market leading performance. Outside the United States the Xpress-Way RX is marketed as the Thrombuster II (Kaneka Corporation, Osaka, Japan).

About Kaneka Corporation
Kaneka is an innovation-oriented chemical company. Traditionally the company has been active in polymers, fermentation, biotechnology and electronics, as well as other fields. Business activities now span a broad spectrum of markets ranging from plastics, chemicals and foodstuffs to pharmaceuticals, medical devices, electrical and electronic materials and synthetic fibers. The medical device activity is currently one of the strategically important domains for Kaneka. With polymer and life science technologies, unique extracorporeal blood purification systems have been developed and become available in Japan, EU, and U.S. for patients with serious disease. In the interventional cardiology and neurology field, the company has developed high performance devices such as Thrombus Aspiration Catheter, Balloon Catheters, Embolization Coils, etc.

Kaneka Corporation is headquartered in Osaka-Japan, with subsidiaries in Belgium, the United States, Singapore, Malaysia, China, Australia and Vietnam. Net sales in the last financial year were 412 billion Yen, corresponding to about 4.4 billion U.S. dollars. Kaneka employs more than 7,700 people worldwide.

About Atrium
Atrium’s vast expertise in medical device technologies for the treatment of coronary and vascular disease, chest trauma, hernia and soft tissue injury has brought a number of breakthrough advances in several diversified healthcare markets including interventional cardiology and radiology, chest trauma care and thoracic drainage, vascular surgery, and hernia repair. Maintaining a commitment to the latest ISO13485 Quality Standards, late breaking advancements in manufacturing and automation, cell biology and biomaterial research, Atrium continues to excel in those healthcare segments that require more advanced surgical intervention for life sustaining patient care. For more information please call Atrium’s Marketing
Communications Dept. at 1-800-370-7899 or visit Atrium’s website at www.atriummed.com.