Junkosha's Latest Innovation Makes Way for Next-Gen Catheters

A new catheter solution from Junkosha represents a major step toward smaller, more flexible, and higher data capacity catheters, according to the Japanese wire and cable supplier.

Tokyo-based Junkosha launched its new Multi-Filar active catheter solution at the recent MD&M Minneapolis expo. The new cables have a capacity of up to 60 power lines depending on AWG size or pitch, and are designed to provide not only increased functionality but also more signals into formerly inaccessible areas of the body, the company said.

Using Junkosha’s precision-engineered PTFE lamination technology, this new fine wire and cable solution provides multiple signals through an ultra-small shaft, enabling a new generation of small, flexible and intelligent catheters to effectively push back the boundaries of current medical procedures. Single strand configurations are joined into a multi-filar assembly that can be utilized in electrophysiology catheters for applying pacing and recording protocols from inside the heart, ablation, and balloon ablation catheters for atrial fibrillation as well as cardiac mapping. In addition, the multi-filar technique allows for easier assembly of the signal or power wires into the final medical device, making the manufacturing process simpler and more cost-effective.

“This is a significant breakthrough on the journey to the next generation of active catheters and the transmission of multiple signals to once inaccessible areas of the body,” said Yohei Washiyama, leader of Junkosha’s medical products group. “Being able to introduce up to 60 power lines in one cable solution not only requires a leap in innovative manufacturing, it needs precision engineered materials that leverage Junkosha’s core competencies.”

The process of manufacturing multi-filar wires is a complicated one, which Junkosha says it has perfected by being able to accommodate the specific requirements for the final product design. For example, each individual strand can be color-coded in the material, in accordance with specific industry standards or to make connection operations more simplified in downstream operations. The bond strength between the individual strands can be adjusted to maximize strength for challenging assembly conditions or optimized for difficult separation processes. Multi-Filar configurations allow for joining dissimilar single strand alloys together in one package. This flexibility in alloy selection is perfectly suited for applications like thermocouples, micro cables that need a high strength member for load-bearing or assembly operations and electrochemical process cells.

“As the requirement for catheter-based procedures such as ablation and balloon ablation for atrial fibrillation and cardiac mapping increases, so the need for innovations such as our Multi-Filar solution becomes paramount to enable them,” Washiyama said. “We are continually pushing the boundaries of what is possible in this journey to miniaturization, whilst unlocking opportunities for catheter manufacturers to deliver improved solutions.”

Last year, at MD&M Minneapolis 2018, Junkosha launched its Multi-Channel Transmission technology, which the company said at the time is expected to pave the way for new data-rich signals to be used in catheter-based therapies such as an intracardiac echocardiogram, ultrasound endoscopy, and intervascular ultrasound.