Laser Catheter Trial Approved for Irvine Firm

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved an Irvine company’s laser catheter for use in clinical trials that will study new ways to clear clogged heart arteries.

Advanced Interventional Systems said its catheter is better at removing plaque from arteries than existing methods and can more closely target hard-to-reach blockages.

The catheter treatment will be administered to about 200 patients in the next six months, said Tom Allen, company president.

The catheter is inserted through the femoral artery in the patient’s thigh and then is extended up into the heart. Laser pulses are aimed at the blockages, which are broken down into gases and tiny particles that are then flushed naturally out of the body.

The first two clinical trials will take place at Emory University in Atlanta and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, Allen said.