Abbott Park, IL - Abbott Laboratories announced the launch of the next-generation Perclose^® suture-mediated vessel closure system, Perclose ProGlide^TM, featuring a polypropylene monofilament suture. The FDA approved the device earlier this year.

According to the company, with its monofilament suture, the ProGlide knot easily advances to the opening in the artery, allowing a single operator to rapidly deliver a pretied knot to close the access site in the femoral artery following a catheterization procedure. This secure stitch provides rapid monofilament suture and is also a preferred suture for vascular surgeons due to its high knotted tensile strength and minimized tissue reaction.

"The incorporation of monofilament suture into the ProGlide device enhances suture handling, making a great device even easier to use," said Dr Mark Dorogy (Medical Center of Central Georgia, Macon). "The security of the suture enables my patients to get out of bed sooner, increasing their satisfaction."

Additional features on Perclose ProGlide include the QuickCut^TM mechanism, which is built into the device to trim the suture after deployment, making it unnecessary to use additional sharps during the procedure. The trimmer facilitates both suture trimming and knot advancement, eliminating a potentially time-consuming step in the vessel-closure procedure for many operators. ProGlide also features numbered procedure deployment steps that are printed on the device.

In addition, the FDA approved new product labeling for Perclose ProGlide that states there are no reaccess/repuncture restrictions if previous arteriotomy repairs were achieved with a Perclose suture-mediated closure device. This product labeling for Abbott Vascular Devices' Perclose closure products allows physicians to perform repeat procedures using the same access site immediatelyoffering increased flexibility to physicians.