Bio2 Medical's Angel Catheter was successfully placed into two patients at St. Mary's Medical Center in West Palm Beach, Florida on Thursday. The catheter, which received FDA 510(k) clearance in August, helps to prevent pulmonary embolism (PE).

Most PEs occur in the three to four days after an injury. Indwelling vena cava (IVC) filters are traditionally used to protect against PE, but they are associated with complications including migration, fracture, erosion and caval thrombosis.

The Angel Catheter is designed to be placed inside of the patient from the bedside without the need for fluoroscopic guidance. It features a temporary IVC filter that's permanently attached to a central venous catheter and works by trapping the pulmonary emboli.


One of the patients at St. Mary's Medical Center was at high risk for PE because of a traumatic brain injury after a craniotomy. The other patient was immobilized for a prolonged period of time because of a cervical spinal cord injury and quadriplegia.

Both of them were contraindicated to prophylactic anticoagulation for seven to 10 days. While they were in the trauma ICU, the Angel Catheter was placed in them at the bedside and their physicians were able to immediately provide them with PE prophylaxis.

Dr. Lawrence Lottenberg prefers the Angel Catheter over the traditional IVC filters because it cannot move from the position in which it was deployed. Also, it can be easily inserted and removed for patients who cannot be prophylactically anticoagulated during the immediate and early phases of injury.

"The recognition of the value of this technology to patient safety and patient care by the Tenet Healthcare System and St. Mary's Hospital in bringing this technology to our Level I trauma [center] cannot be overstated," wrote Dr. Lottenberg.

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