RelayPlus Thoracic Stent-Graft Q&A

I've been part of the Relay experience since the very, very beginning, and it's been certainly a pleasure and a privilege to be using and have access to that graph, starting in 2007 when the Phase II FDA study started and transitioned from the Transport to the Relay Plus system in 2009 and subsequently since the commercialization and FDA approval in 2012. There are multiple devices available to treat patients with thoracic aneurysms, and choosing a graph is multifactorial, but what most physicians obviously will place a lot of importance on is performance, durability, and outcome. The Relay Plus subset analysis is very encouraging, and the data is actually, in my opinion, quite impressive. Zero percent stroke rate at 30 days, no type 1 endoleak, no migration. These are very, very impressive, and I think it is a reflection of all the engineering update and modification from the transport to the currently available Plus system. The Relay Plus device has its unique features, as do many of the other devices, but the unique features in the Relay Plus that really grabbed my attention, and I do think it is unique and also aids in the user friendliness of the device is the dual sheath platform. It does aid us in the precision and also allows us to really have an accurate deployment in distal arch challenging anatomies. The design of the pre-curve night and all background also allows us to have a very accurate and precise deployment algorithm and platform for those challenging distal arch anatomies. Another unique aspect of the thoracic endograft with the Boone Relay Plus system is the flexibility in sizing. Taper graphs, for example, also a range of diameter from 22 to 46 millimeters, as well as a length as long as 250 millimeters. These flexibility in sizing really does allow us a whole range of treatment options for patients with difficult anatomy and challenging clinical scenarios. And in my opinion, the thoracic endograph platform with the Relay Plus is an important foundation as we continue to expand indications for treatment in other thoracic aortic disease, such as dissections and trauma. In Europe, that's currently being done. In the United States, there will be ongoing or upcoming clinical trials looking at the Relay Plus in dose, patient selection, anatomy such as dissection, and trauma. And also the Relay Plus will serve as a important foundation as we encroach into the arch and ascending order in future platforms.