$1-1.5 Billion Market Forecast for Bypass Couplers

The new devices would enable more coronary artery bypass operations to be performed off-pump, without the use of a heart-lung machine. Eventually, the devices may permit bypass procedures to be done percutaneously.

The new couplers are designed to secure the ends of a bypass graft to the aorta or coronary artery within seconds, producing a more uniform and reproducible anastomosis than can be achieved with suture. This eliminates the need for knot tying, which requires more skill and time. An estimated 700,000 bypass operations are performed worldwide every year. Each procedure involves at least three bypass grafts and each graft would require the use of two couplers.

Achieving the same patency rates as a sutured anastomosis and ensuring that the patient is completely revascularized by not compromising the number of vessels that are bypassed during a procedure are two of the major issues hindering acceptance of off-pump bypass, reports Sharon O'Reilly, editor of the newsletter. Until more automated methods for connecting vessels become available, O'Reilly believes that the number of minimally invasive bypass procedures will stay around 20%.

According to the newsletter, a number of new startups have emerged that are targeting this market. Among the companies developing automated anastomotic couplers are Converge Medical, Heart Tech, Onux Medical, Bypass, and Vascular Sciences. The next step being pursued by many of these companies is delivering a bypass graft percutaneously and securing it into position with a coupler without opening the chest.

The August newsletter also provides the results of a recent survey of cardiac surgeons regarding minimally invasive heart surgery, a review of digital technologies in image-guided medicine, and an update on new treatments for osteoporosis. The newsletter focuses on the latest discoveries, trends, and innovations in the medical device and biotech industries.



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