EVAR Update: Competitors Stake Their Ground In A High-Growth Space

As the number of endovascular abdominal aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR) procedures continues to grow, particularly in the US, so does the number and variety of devices designed to treat this complicated but potentially deadly condition. The momentum in this market at the moment is keenest for technologies that can safely expand the treatable patient pool to include patients with more complicated anatomy, such as short and highly angulated aortic necks and aneurysms very near or encompassing the area of the renal arteries, which must remain patent following EVAR to supply blood to the kidneys. At the same time, physicians are showing increased interest in performing EVAR procedures completely percutaneously (without the standard femoral cutdown). A percutaneous approach has several advantages for both providers and patients, including shorter procedure times, which has the potential to improve provider efficiency and cost analytics, reduced patient recovery times, and less potential for access site complications; however, that advance requires much lower-profile grafts and delivery systems than have been available in the past. (See Also see "Expanding The EVAR Toolbox: A Glimpse Into The Future" - Medtech Insight, 28 March, 2012..)

A number of new technologies are being developed and introduced to meet these challenges and as a result, this field...