A Medical Device Daily

Medtronic (Minneapolis) reported FDA approval for the Talent thoracic stent graft, a device for the minimally invasive treatment of certain types of aneurysms of the descending thoracic aorta.

"There are still many patients undiagnosed and in need of treatment for thoracic aortic disease," said Ronald Fairman, MD, professor of surgery and chief of vascular surgery at the University of Pennsylvania Hospital (Philadelphia). "FDA approval of the Talent Thoracic Stent Graft is an important development in physicians' abilities to treat this life-threatening condition. In my experience, this device offers a superior alternative to open surgery and will allow physicians to perform minimally-invasive thoracic aortic aneurysm repair for a broader population of patients."

The Talent makes thoracic endovascular aortic repair accessible to an additional 25% of patients. It is available in a range of diameters from 22 mm to 46 mm. This size matrix offers physicians multiple options to customize devices for their patients' needs and to treat a wider range of anatomies than with the other available endografts.

Medtronic's portfolio of aortic stent grafts includes the Talent abdominal and thoracic stent graft systems worldwide, the AneuRx AAAdvantage abdominal stent graft system in the U.S., and the Valiant thoracic stent graft system outside the U.S.