KARL STORZ Endoscopy-America, Inc., announced a new partnership with Saphena Medical to provide advanced instruments for endoscopic vessel harvesting (EVH).

EVH is a revolutionary procedure that enables surgeons to obtain grafts for coronary bypass using a keyhole approach, without lengthy incisions. Dr. Albert Chin, the co-founder of Saphena Medical, pioneered the technology, which has enjoyed rapid and widespread adoption in the field. The introduction of Saphena’s Venapax^® device represented a major advance by enabling the surgeon to dissect, ligate, and extract a vessel with a single instrument.

The 4th generation Venapax has been specifically constructed with a reinforced shaft and internal guides to fit a KARL STORZ telescope. It allows for a simplified radial artery or saphenous vein harvesting with a shortened learning curve and a drastically reduced overall disposable cost. The partnership began with a pilot program at five hospitals and will continue to expand on a phased basis.

“We are excited to join forces with such a dynamic and innovative partner. Our expertise in endoscopic imaging—which includes considerable experience in the cardiothoracic market—makes us the logical choice for advancing this EVH technology,” said Monica Ambrose, Executive Director of Surgical Marketing at KARL STORZ.