Boston Scientific launches Axios stent and delivery system

Boston Scientific has announced the launch of a new system for managing two serious complications from pancreatitis using a minimally invasive endoscopic approach.

The Axios stent and electrocautery enhanced delivery system have been cleared for the endoscopic management of pancreatic pseudocysts and certain types of walled-off pancreatic necrosis.

With the electrocautery-enhanced catheter, physicians can gain access to pancreatic fluid collections and deploy the stent to facilitate drainage by creating a temporary channel between the fluid and the gastrointestinal tract.

The large flanges on each end of the lumen-apposing stent reduce the risk of leakage and migration, while the stent is MRI compatible, fully covered and self-expanding.

Dr Kenneth Binmoeller, the inventor of the AXIOS System, said: "We can now provide an endoscopic solution that provides immediate relief for these patients using one device in a single setting."

This comes after the company received European CE Mark approval for its Eluvia drug-eluting vascular stent system last month.