美迪醫療網成揚報道：加拿大CryoCath科技公司(Montreal, Canada)已經授權批準美國ATS醫療公司(Minneapolis, MN, USA)共同享有用于心率不齊消融術的外科冷凍治療產品的市場開發權以及世界其它地區的獨家銷售權。

該項交易確保CryCath公司繼續在心房纖顫市場保持領先地位。該公司是全球第一位的冷凍治療產品供應商。在心臟外科手術時使用冷凍療法治療心率不齊，即使用超低溫治療靶組織而確保鄰近的結締組織不受影響。CryoCath公司指出，在鄰近心臟關鍵部位進行手術時，安全是至關重要的；冷凍療法可以保留組織的完整性，最大程度地減少手術產生的熱源性損傷所導致的心臟內血栓形成的危險。

心房纖顫已經成為心血管手術最常見的并發癥。使用冷凍療法消融產生心率不齊的組織，消除了靶組織產生的熱量，在低溫條件下減緩了細胞活性。良好定位的損傷愈合迅速。冷凍療法可以用于所有切開類型以及任何手術方案，能夠用于正在跳動的心臟或者已經停止跳動的心臟。

“這是唯一能夠比得上Cox III迷宮手術(該方法是手術治療終止心率不齊發作的金標準)的治療方法。”ATS醫療公司總裁Michael D. Dale評論說，“我們興奮異常，因為現在能夠將CryoCath公司先進的的消融工藝與我們公司先進的機械心臟瓣膜一起進行銷售。”

CryoCath and ATS in Global Alliance
 
U.S. co-promotion rights to market surgical cryotherapy products for the ablation of cardiac arrhythmias as well as exclusive distribution rights for the rest of the world have been granted by CryoCath Technologies (Montreal, Canada) to ATS Medical, Inc. (Minneapolis, MN, USA).

The transaction allows CryoCath to continue its quest to become a dominant force in the atrial fibrillation (AF) market. The company is a leading global supplier of cryotherapy solutions. Use of cryotherapy to treat cardiac arrhythmias during cardiac surgery involves the use of extremely cold temperatures to treat targeted tissue while leaving underlying connective tissue largely unaffected. CryoCath notes that in procedures near critical structures of the heart where safety is vital, freezing preserves tissue integrity and minimizes the risk of endocardial thrombus associated with heat-based energy sources.

AF has become the most common complication of cardiovascular surgery. Using cryotherapy for ablating tissue responsible for arrhythmias removes heat from target tissue, slowing cellular activity as it cools. The well-demarcated lesions heal quickly. Cryotherapy can be used with all incision types in conjunction with any surgical procedure and can be used in a beating heart or an arrested heart.

“It is the only approach that can create the complete set of lesions required to emulate the Cox III Maze procedure, the gold-standard surgical treatment to stop AF,” commented Michael D. Dale, president and CEO of ATS Medical. “We are very excited to now have the ability to sell a superior ablation technology alongside our outstanding mechanical heart valve.”