During MD&M Minneapolis, materials specialist Junkosha launched its multi-filar active catheter solution.
This year’s event marked the 25th anniversary of MD&M Minneapolis, and during the show the small, flexible and high data capacity catheters were presented. These cables have a capacity of up to 60 power lines depending on American wire gauge size or pitch and are designed to offer both increased functionality and more signals into areas of the body which were previously considered inaccessible.
These cable solutions utilise Junkosha’s precision engineered PolyTetraFluoroEthylene (PTFE) lamination technology. Multiple signals are provided through an ultra-small shaft, which enables a new generation of small, flexible and intelligent catheters.
The technology is formed from single strand configurations which are joined in to a multi-filar assembly. It can be used within catheters to apply pacing, record protocols from inside the heart, ablation and balloon ablation catheters for atrial fibrillation as well as cardiac mapping. This technique aims to make the manufacturing process more simple and cost-effective, and allow for easier assembly of the signal or power wires into the final medical device.
“This is a significant breakthrough on the journey to the next generation of active catheters and the transmission of multiple signals to once inaccessible areas of the body,” explains Yohei Washiyama, leader of Junkosha’s medical products group. “Being able to introduce up to 60 power lines in one cable solution not only requires a leap in innovative manufacturing, it needs precision engineered materials that leverage Junkosha’s core competencies.”
Manufacturing multi-filar wires is a complicated process. In order to manage this, Junkosha focuses on being able to accommodate specific requirements for the final product design e.g. each individual strand can be colour coded in the material in accordance with specific industry standards.
“As the requirement for catheter-based procedures such as ablation and balloon ablation for atrial fibrillation and cardiac mapping increases, so the need for innovations such as our multi-filar solution become paramount to enable them,” states Washiyama. “We are continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this journey to miniaturisation, whilst unlocking opportunities for catheter manufacturers to deliver improved solutions.”