Background
Kaleidoscope uses innovative solutions for treating venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) through the company's revolutionary inferior vena cava (IVC) filter. Sirius Engineering and Kaleidoscope Medical have developed this new technology to respond to an unmet need in treating VTE, which is a disease that involves both deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.
While the use of IVC filters has increased twenty-fold over the last decade to reach 225,000 implants in the U.S. alone, filter design and technology have remained stagnant. The two types of filters available today, permanent and removable, are frequently associated with long-term complications. Kaleidoscope is developing a revolutionary vena caval filter that can remain in its filtering configuration permanently, be completely removed within an appropriate time-frame, or converted into a completely open, non-filtering configuration to re-establish normal blood flow if removal is deemed unsafe by doctors. Kaleidoscope will be unique in its ability to deliver all three options and may reduce the frequency of filter thrombosis (clotting) associated with prolonged filtering that can result in limb loss or death.
Sirius Engineering developed this IVC filter using a biphasic nitinol frame structure that allows it to function indefinitely without the need to repeat surgeries or cleaning maintenance. Once deployed, the Kaleidoscope filter immediately starts working to address the thrombus and emboli in the blood stream like other filters, but does so without any of the wear and tear.
Development at a glance
The implant was designed to be loaded in a small catheter and expand open when at the right location
Designs were deployed and tested in a flowing circuit
Tests were developed to ensure the design inputs were fully met