Boston Scientific Corp. has received CE Mark approval for the Promus PREMIER Everolimus-Eluting Platinum Chromium Coronary Stent System, the company's next-generation durable polymer drug-eluting stent (DES) technology, and is starting its European market launch. The Promus PREMIER Stent System is designed to provide physicians improved DES performance in treating patients with coronary artery disease. It is the only platform to feature a customized Platinum Chromium (PtCr) stent architecture, the market-leading Everolimus drug coating and fluorinated co-polymer, and an enhanced stent delivery system. Images of the Promus PREMIER Stent System are available for download here.

Coronary heart disease is a narrowing of the vessels that supply blood and oxygen to the heart. Recent statistics from the European Heart Network and the European Society of Cardiology show it is the single most common cause of death in Europe accounting for 1.8 million deaths in Europe per year. Patients living with coronary heart disease, also known as coronary artery disease, may experience pain, shortness of breath and fatigue. They may also be at risk for a heart attack. One treatment option is the placement of a stent in the artery to help keep it open and allow the blood to flow more freely.  

"The customized Platinum Chromium stent architecture maintains the superior visibility, exceptional radial strength and fracture resistance, minimal recoil and outstanding clinical outcomes of a PtCr Everolimus-Eluting stent while offering improved longitudinal strength," states John Ormiston, M.D., Mercy Angiography, Auckland City, New Zealand. "In addition, the enhanced stent delivery system offers improved deliverability. Stent design is a balance of trade-offs and the Promus PREMIER Stent System appears to have it right."

The Promus PREMIER Stent System was developed with input from physicians. The customized Platinum Chromium alloy stent architecture provides strength without compromising flexibility. An enhanced low-profile delivery system features a shorter, more visible tip, dual-layer balloon, and Bi-Segment inner lumen catheter designed to facilitate precise stent delivery across challenging lesions. The Everolimus drug and fluorinated co-polymer stent coating have been studied in multiple randomized clinical trials demonstrating long-term safety and efficacy. The PLATINUM Workhorse Trial compared the PROMUS Element Stent (Platinum Chromium Everolimus-Eluting stent) to the Xience V Stent (Cobalt Chromium Everolimus-Eluting stent), and demonstrated that Platinum Chromium technology has superior clinical outcomes between years one and two. 

"The Promus PREMIER Stent System is the latest example of our unparalleled pipeline of drug-eluting stent technologies and reflects our commitment to global DES market leadership," notes Kevin Ballinger, president, Interventional Cardiology, Boston Scientific. "We are proud that our research, clinical, regulatory and manufacturing teams delivered the next advance in stent technology in an expedited time. In partnership with physicians, we expect to continue to innovate and build on our industry-leading Platinum Chromium platform."

The Promus PREMIER Stent System is currently offered in a matrix of 47 sizes, ranging in diameter from 2.25mm to 4.00mm and lengths of 8mm to 38mm on a Monorail catheter platform. This comprehensive offering provides cardiologists and their patients a broad range of options designed to best suit their needs. The Promus PREMIER Stent System is not available for sale in the United States or Japan.

Tool Alliance launched a new and improved version of the Tungsten ToolWorks website, www.tungstentoolworks.com. On the website, customers can customize their own solid carbide cutting tool and receive a quote in less than one minute.

Customers can register on the website for free and create an endless amount of customized tools. The quote stay in a folder and orders can be placed immediately or months later. There are numerous options to choose from while creating tools, including square or ball ends, necking, different types of coating, and more.

David Povich, president, Tool Alliance, states, “We are thrilled with the new website. We pride ourselves on customer satisfaction, and tungstentoolworks.com allows us to give the customer exactly what he or she needs, when they need it, with superb quality. Tungsten ToolWorks was the first online quotation and ordering system in the cutting tool industry, and with the new launch, we've taken the model to an entirely new level.”

All orders through the website are available through leading distributors or can be placed factory direct. Go to www.tungstentoolworks.com and Customize Yourself today!

The Coordinate Metrology Society (CMS), the eminent membership association for measurement professionals, will host the 29th annual Coordinate Metrology Systems Conference (CMSC) on July 22 – 26, 2013, at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel and Marina. This event caters to users of portable 3D measurement solutions applied by manufacturers and science laboratories. Under one roof, attendees will find the latest metrology products and services, technical paper sessions, educational workshops, and networking opportunities. The CMSC is known for its full slate of diverse technical presentations that cover successful user applications, best practices, and research and development in the field of metrology.

Online attendee registration is now open at https://www.cmsc.org/register. Conference details for interested exhibitors can be found at https://www.cmsc.org/cmsc-exhibitor-information. CMSC attendees are veteran and novice metrologists, manufacturing executives and managers, scientists, students, educators and those who want to broaden their skill sets and knowledge of 3D portable measurement.

For the first time, examinations for the CMS Level-One Certification for 3D Portable Metrology will be offered during the conference. Details are forthcoming. The 5-day agenda will also include a measurement study, workshops, user group meetings, and social events to meet Coordinate Metrology Society members and thought leaders in the industry. The Exhibitor Hall will feature more than 40 service providers and vendors of portable measurement technology including industrial photogrammetry solutions, laser trackers, laser radars, articulating arms, GPS systems, laser scanners, laser projection systems, theodolites, and much more. 

Call for Papers Continues through March 15, 2013
The Call for Papers for the 2013 CMSC continues until March 15, 2013. Abstract submissions are peer-reviewed by the Coordinate Metrology Society and considered for presentation at CMSC 2013. Notification of acceptance will occur on April 1, 2013. For guidelines or more information about presenting a technical paper at CMSC 2013, contact Michael Raphael, technical presentations coordinator, presentations@cmsc.org. Guidelines for presentations and technical papers can be downloaded at 2013 CMSC Guidelines Conference speakers gain recognition as industry experts, and all accepted white papers are peer reviewed and considered for publication in the Journal of the CMSC.

Kimberly-Clark officials announce the launch of CERVICOOL Cooled Radiofrequency (RF) System, an innovative option for helping resolve cervical facet joint pain. With the addition of CERVICOOL Cooled RF System, Kimberly-Clark now offers a complete portfolio of cooled radiofrequency treatment for all segments of the spine, from the cervical facet joint to the sacroiliac (SI) joint.

Cervical pain is the third most common pain in the spine with more than 44 million patients afflicted annually and more than 200,000 patients turning to cervical injections for pain relief each year. ^{[1] [2]} While these injections can provide some relief, cervical pain is often difficult to treat through diagnostic and therapeutic nerve blocks due to nerve course variability and the difficult anatomy of the spine. 

CERVICOOL Cooled RF System is designed to address the unique anatomy of the cervical joints by employing water-cooled technology to provide larger lesions than standard radiofrequency. This can help address nerve path variability in the cervical spine. This innovative treatment has the potential to provide long-lasting pain relief that may enable a more active lifestyle.

Kimberly-Clark worked in collaboration with a board of physician consultants to design and develop the technologically advanced CERVICOOL Cooled RF System. Designed to empower physicians, CERVICOOL Cooled RF System enables different approaches including perpendicular, oblique or parallel approaches to the cervical joint. 

"As one of the physician consultants in the development of CERVICOOL Cooled RF System, I know first-hand that Kimberly-Clark understands the challenges and difficulties inherent in the spinal anatomy," states Dr. Robert D. Menzies of John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth, TX. "Incorporating feedback from physicians, Kimberly-Clark has developed an easy-to-use, time-saving system that provides a variety of options for treatment of the cervical joint."

A video demonstration of CERVICOOL Cooled RF System featuring Dr. Menzies is available via Kimberly-Clark's proprietary physician education training portal at http://kcpain.docstream.com/a4DD/cervicool-procedure/.  

"Kimberly-Clark is continuously transforming the healthcare landscape, from diagnostics to treatment, offering unique solutions for chronic pain," comments Lisa Kudlacz, general manager, Global Interventional Pain Management, Kimberly-Clark. "The addition of CERVICOOL Cooled RF System completes our portfolio of cooled RF spine treatment offerings." 

CERVICOOL Cooled RF System is part of Kimberly-Clark's full range of innovative cooled-RF pain management solutions for patients experiencing discogenic pain, SI joint syndrome, thoracic and lumbar z-joint pain. The cooled radiofrequency platform allows for the creation of large-volume, spherical lesions for the difficult-to-treat spinal anatomy. 

^{[1] Cote, PAIN "The annual incidence and course of neck pain in the general population: a population-based cohort study"} 

^{[2] 2009 Thomson Hospital Outpatient Procedures Data}