Olympus announced today the addition to its U.S. bronchoscopy portfolio of the 510(k)-cleared H-SteriScope™ Single-Use Bronchoscopes, a line of five premium endoscopes for use in advanced diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.
The introduction of the H-SteriScope portfolio has been a collaboration between Veran Medical Technologies, Inc., a wholly-owned Olympus subsidiary, and Hunan Vathin Medical Instrument Co., Ltd.
In its corporate strategy unveiled in November 2019, Olympus vowed to complement its product portfolio with single-use endoscopes to address: (i) procedure-specific requirements, (ii) the need for urgent procedure preparation, and (iii) improved workflow. With the acquisition of Veran Medical Technologies, Inc. in December 2020 and the H-SteriScope portfolio expansion, Olympus now offers a selection of premium single-use bronchoscopes.
“We are very excited to launch our first line of single-use bronchoscopes,” said Lynn Ray, Vice President and General Manager of the Global Respiratory Business Unit for Olympus Corporation. “These premium disposable bronchoscopes give physicians flexibility and choice when convenience and portability are critical factors in care. Adding them to our already robust bronchoscopy portfolio aids physicians in achieving faster transitions to diagnosis and treatment for patients.”
H-SteriScope single-use bronchoscopes, specifically designed for tissue biopsy, foreign body retrieval, and other advanced procedures, help clinicians target, diagnose, and treat patients while enhancing workflow and productivity. H-SteriScope models range from the Zero to Extra with an outer diameter range of 2.2 to 6.2 mm and a working channel range of 1.2 to 3.2 mm. Other features comparable to traditional bronchoscopes include:
- Rotary Function: Insertion tube rotation up to 90 degrees left and right may provide additional operator control and supports easy insertion and positioning of endoscopic devices.
- Tip Angulation: An angulation range of 210 degrees up and down can be achieved, even when an endoscopic device is inserted, making it easy to access targets within the tracheal-bronchial tree.
According to a hands-on evaluation and survey conducted during the Second Conference of the American Association of Bronchology and Interventional Pulmonology (AABIP), held in August 2019, the H-SteriScope bronchoscopes were rated higher than current single-use flexible bronchoscopes in scope quality, imaging quality, maneuverability, handling, tool interaction, and overall assessment.i
Olympus recently established a new cross-functional dedicated organization, the Single-Use Endoscopy Unit, to accelerate efforts for developing the commercialization strategy and to inform a focused product portfolio roadmap. “With the launch of the H-SteriScopes, Olympus is entering the single-use endoscopy market and ushering in a new era in endoscopy where single-use and traditional scopes are seen together as part of a complete and complementary endoscopy portfolio,” said Ken Daignault, Vice President of Strategy and Development of the Single-Use Endoscopy Unit at Olympus.