Bluegrass Vascular announces strategic relationship with Merit Medical

Bluegrass Vascular Technologies is entering into a strategic relationship with Merit Medical Systems. The agreement will streamline European distribution of the recently CE mark-approved Surfacer Inside-Out access catheter system and will provide funding to support the company’s efforts to secure US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance for product sales in the USA.

“We are very pleased to be partnering with Merit Medical, a prominent distributor of medical devices in Europe and the USA that shares the same vision of addressing the clinical gaps that exist in vascular access care for haemodialysis patients,” stated Gabriele Niederauer, chief executive officer and president of Bluegrass Vascular. “We are excited about Merit’s choice to commercialise the innovative Surfacer system and deepen their superb customer relationships.”

“The Surfacer system is an innovative Inside-Out approach to restore access to the right internal jugular vein and to preserve treatment options in haemodialysis patients with occluded veins,” stated Fred Lampropoulos, chairman and chief executive officer of Merit Medical. “This unique approach addresses an unmet need in haemodialysis care and aligns with Merit’s interventional portfolio, which includes the HeRO Graft, a complementary device designed to reduce catheter-associated complications and costs. We are very excited to bring this novel technology to market.”

According to a joint press release from the two companies, the Surfacer Inside-Out access catheter system provides reliable, efficient and repeatable central venous access to the right internal jugular vein, the optimal location for placing a central venous catheter. By securing safe and repeatable central venous access to the vein, the Surfacer system allows physicians to “avoid going left”, thereby protecting fistula placement, achieving “better patient outcomes and improved health economics for both hospitals and haemodialysis providers”.