Szczecin, Poland, December 11, 2020 — The first implantation of the Castor™ Branched Aortic Stent-Graft and Delivery System (“Castor™”), developed by Shanghai MicroPort Endovascular MedTech（Group）Co., Ltd. (“Endovastec™”), was successfully completed in Poland in 29 October. Castor™ is the world’s first stent-graft system for simultaneous aorta and aortic arch repair through minimally invasive treatment.
Zhenghua Miao, President of Endovastec™, said, “The completion of the first clinical implantation of Castor™ in Poland is of great importance to its further promotion in overseas markets. It will lay the foundation for the product’s use in clinical applications in more countries overseas. Endovastec™ has always valued the personal experience of each user and will continue to strengthen in-depth cooperation with clinical experts to provide personalized treatment solutions and services to patients around the world with aortic and peripheral vascular diseases.”
The first overseas clinical implantation of Castor™ was performed by a team of cardiac surgeons led by Professor Piotr Gutowski and Professor Arkadiusz Kazimierczak from SPSK2 w Szczecinie Hospital in Poland. The surgical team was highly positive about the post-operative results, with postoperative imaging showing that the stent-graft was precisely positioned to have effectively covered the dissection tear; the triple multi-mini springs at the proximal end of the stent graft sealed effectively without any endoleak, ensuring smooth blood flow in the LSA.
According to the team of experts, the unibody design of Castor™ effectively addresses the difficulties of access and positioning commonly found with traditional integrated stent-graft systems. Operations using Castor™ are more standardized and safer than chimney technique, fenestration technique and other techniques used for LSA preservation. The proximal design without bare stent and the tapered structure of Castor™ make it more suitable for patients with aortic dissection. The team hopes that Castor™ will be used for more complicated cases in the future and look forward to seeing its long-term therapeutic results.
Castor™ has entered more than 400 hospitals in China since its launch, and its innovative features have won recognition by clinical experts. Its unique unibody structure can adapt to a variety of arch anatomies and allows one-off access and release, which ensures safe and convenient reconstruction of the left subclavian artery while reducing the incidence of endoleak and provides long-term stability.