FAQ’s

Finesse was designed for BTK procedures for patients with CLI at risk of amputation.

Using Finesse as the initial catheter to begin a revascularization procedure after diagnostic angiography may help reduce catheter exchanges and procedure time. The ability to inject contrast locally can be an aid in lesion crossing. Finesse has a tip entry profile comparable to a microcatheter, a hydrophilic coating, and the pushability of a 4.7 Fr proximal shaft. Finesse also carries a balloon, which can be an advantage to provide balloon-assisted lesion traversal–when inflated the balloon can stabilize the tip of the catheter and make it resistant to kick back during guidewire advancement. Similarly, if the guidewire gets stuck the balloon can be inflated which can stretch the vessel and allow the guidewire to advance further. The balloon can then be deflated and continue to be used in crossing the lesion. 

The injectability feature allows for contrast arteriography without requiring a separate diagnostic catheter, reducing the need for some other equipment. It also can be used to cross lesions, potentially avoiding the need for a microcatheter.

Because the injection exit ports are in close proximity to where the images are typically acquired, diagnostic quality angiographic images can be obtained with ultra-low doses of contrast, as little as 0.5 to 1 ml of 300mg/ml iodinated contrast per acquisition.

Catheter exchanges typically use fluoroscopy to monitor progress, such as guide wire position. Therefore, reducing catheter exchanges is expected to reduce radiation.

Also, since contrast is injected typically in close proximity to the area being imaged, there is minimal delay between contrast injection and the appearance of contrast on the image. Because of that, the number of images without contrast early in an acquisition can be reduced or eliminated. The radiation for each of those wasted images early in an acquisition can be avoided.

Conventional catheters are monofunctional–they are designed to perform a single function. Trimodal catheters perform three functions: injection, balloon-assisted crossing, and angioplasty. First, injectability over the guidewire at anytime enables fluid injection or aspiration and also permits pressure measurements to be done. Second, Finesse has a low-profile balloon with excellent rewrap and can be used for balloon-assisted crossing, a valuable technique. Third, Finesse has high-performance low-profile angioplasty balloons that can achieve definitive revascularization results in many patients.