Custom flexible shaft for Medtronic EVAR device

S.S. White Technologies, the worldwide leader in the design and manufacture of flexible shafts, announces a custom S.S. White flexible shaft that drives a new Medtronic device for Endovascular Aneurysm Repair (EVAR). Central to the innovative Heli-FX EndoAnchor System, the S.S. White shaft maneuvers and installs a staple to secure endografts in Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm (AAA) and Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm (TAA) cases.

Flexible shafts transmit rotary motion much like a solid shaft, but can be curved over, under, and around areas in ways a solid shaft cannot. This allows the minimally invasive Medtronic applicator system to position the proximal and distal ends of an implant (an anchor) within a blood vessel and to deploy the spiral anchor into the vascular wall.

S.S. White designs flexible shaft solutions for specific applications with expertise and experience.

“S.S. White is an industry leader in understanding the customer requirement, and then translating that into the actual construction of the shaft,” says Mohan Krishnan, PhD, senior engineering director, Supply Management at Medtronic Cardiac and Vascular Group. The Heli-FX EndoAnchor System shaft design includes laser-welded fittings for a reduced diameter.

Flexible shafts are commonly used in surgical applications, especially in surgical power tools and tools used in minimally invasive procedures. In addition to AAA and TAA endograft anchoring, S.S. White provides highly flexible shafts for hand held screw drivers, heart valve repair, laparoscopic and endoscopic surgical equipment, and robotic assisted surgery technology such as the Da Vinci surgical system, as well as for other medical applications.