“Less Invasive” is what we aim at in the medical field = INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY.
Medical scenes have begun to change with treatment that in the past had to be dependent on abdominal surgery now oriented towards minimally invasive treatment.
The areas of treatment include gastrointestinal, intravascular (heart/periphery of limbs/head and neck, etc.) through the spine and throughout the entire body.
Treating areas of vascular, gastrointestinal and organs by taking the following approaches: plugging up, dilating, melting down, maintaining its original shape, absorbing in, binding, trimming, scooping out, hardening, and injecting.
This procedure utilizes an X-ray fluoroscope.
For example, after a local anesthesia is given on the femoral portion of a patient, a tube with a diameter of 1～2mm which is called a “sheath” is inserted into the blood vessel.
Medical devices that are called, “guidewires” and “catheters” are being inserted and by viewing the fluoroscope imagery, the vessels surrounding the inside of the body are used in treating the lesion.
Treatment that utilizes an endoscope is also performed.
An endoscope has a channel in which various medical instruments can be inserted and extracted out during examinations and treatments.
Thin tubes called, “guidewires” and “cannulae” are inserted through this channel to examine and to treat the lesion.
These treatments utilize medical instruments such as guidewires, catheters and cannulae but there are also tubes that have SMA alloy-made lumens, called “stents” and “coils” which are made of platinum and are embolic agents.
Piolax Medical Devices, Inc. is always striving to serve medical devices of high quality that are planned and developed based on ideas of Doctors at clinical sites as well as our originality.
Gentle Treatment Method = “INTERVENTIONAL RADIOLOGY”
This method takes a less invasive approach in treatments utilizing crisscrossed vessels and lumens inside the body.
This is a highly-merited method of treatment globally.
Some of the merits include : less discomfort in patients because of local anesthesia instead of general anesthesia, less surgery time, less time in the hospital, and less vividness of scars resulting from surgery.
These merits lead to the cutting down of medical costs.
Recently, there are day surgeries in which patients can go back to their homes after surgery instead of being hospitalized.
This treatment is thought of as “friendly” in the way that QOL is maintained even after surgery because a patient can return back to their lifestyle immediately and be socially- rehabilitated.
With the strenuous efforts of knowledge and technology from Doctors, medical device manufacturing companies and staffs, this treatment is spreading globally.
Catheter Treatment
This is a picture of an angiographic image of a hepatic artery that performed embolization on a hepatocarcinoma.
A catheter or a guidewire is inserted through winded vessels to reach the hepatoma and contrast media is injected after the positioning is confirmed under the fluoroscope.
This treatment requires only little incision on the femoral area for the catheter to be inserted.
Endoscopic Treatment
A treatment utilizing a stent to deal with malignant strictures of biliary tracts (expand the lesion and to maintain its shape).
A stent is implanted using a cannula or a guidewire to widen the area of stricture that leads the bile to flow and to recover the body flow.
This treatment does not require laparotomy and is known to be less invasive.
In Pursuit of the Infinite Possibilities of Microtechnology
Core Technology
Our own core technologies are used in creating the medical devices that we serve.
For example, endovascular treatments that cannot be performed without guidewires and catheters have surfaces of hydrophilic factors as well as specially processed technologies embedded in them.
Microtechnology is utilized for seeking the targeted lesion by the peripheral vessel or by the gastrointestinal tract.
Stents that require accuracy in angles and shapes, plates that are used for neurosurgery utilize a 3-D analysis technology in which it leads to a high degree of microtechnology and forming of shapes.
Creating from nothing- We develop new and original products using both new and core technologies to fulfill the needs of Doctors.
Fine Processing Technology
Stents are implanted in areas where the gastrointestinal tract is narrow with strictures so that the tubes are dilated to maintain its original shape and the flow of digestive juices are near to being normal.
Designing and fine processing is necessary for each intended purpose.
The enlarged picture on the left was taken under a microscope and it shows struts of a stent that is made of Ti-Ni super elastic material.
The stent is manufactured by performing a laser cut on aφ2mm Ti-Ni made pipe according to its requested patterns.
Hydrogel Treatment
Hydrophilicity
The picture on the left shows a pattern diagram of a surface applied with hydrophilicity.
Immediate lubricity appears when moistened with water.
Catheters and guidewires that have contact with blood and body fluids are processed with this hydrophilic factor.
Inserting foreign matters lead to a formation of thrombus but with this hydrophilic factor, thrombosis can be prevented.
Advanced Technologies Create Innovative Products
Process of New Products
Physicians have many requests for the medical devices they use in treating patients.
In order to enter the market, the products must be developed to be more than a certain level and be served to lead the procedure to be standardized in which treatment results become high.
Product planning begins from ideas found at hospitals, congresses and study groups which are brought to a Product Planning Group.
Regarding innovative products, much trial and error are being conducted.
Doctors and staffs are involved in consultation and prototypes are checked severely.
With these processes, a product full with originality is born with the help of related groups to bring an effective and speedy system in serving and to lead to productization.
Developmental Idea
The Principle of Development
We have been using a cultivated technology of “elasticity” as the basis of development.
A large step is taken in the medical field by using raw materials such as metal and resin to have hydrophilic-coated surfaces and microtechnologies in creating devices with people-friendly elastic materials.
Treating an elastic body with elastic materials is preferable and bringing in new ideas of manufacturing and developmental engineering leads to a global serving of high valued products.
We always think one step ahead in trying to bring in many smiles.
Product Design and System of Development
Our products are designed by reflecting voices from clinical sites and by ideas created by many different divisions.
Characteristics, evaluation of safety and verification are formed into 1 and are following the ISO13485/14971 system.
As a final step, the products are evaluated under similar conditions to those at clinical sites.
The products are also tested in terms of functioning ability and characteristics.
Lab Test
View of a platinum-made micro-coil plugging up the aneurysm
A blood vessel model used for conducting a guidewire functioning test
Product Design
Requests from hospitals turn into demanded characteristics which leads to drawing up a design diagram.
Inspections of characteristics and of trial products are conducted according to ISO.
Product design starts from drawing up a design diagram that contains the requests of Doctors which turn into demanded characteristics.
Then, our development system following ISO conducts inspections to evaluate characteristics and safeness of trial products.
Finally, the functioning ability and effectiveness of the product will be evaluated under the same conditions as under medical practices.
The goal of a developer is to be as effective and people-friendly.
Spiral Design
This is one portion of a product design which is “spiral”.
As shown in the picture, there are diverse shapes which leads to manufacturing products of high functioning ability, less invasiveness, and with design.
