Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital Licenses Minimally Invasive Saphenous Vein Harvesting Device for Up to RMB 10 Million

Recently, Nanjing Drum Tower Hospital announced that, withCapped at RMB 10 millionThe proposed transaction price (an upfront fee of RMB 100,000, milestone payments of RMB 3.9 million, and sales royalties capped at RMB 6 million) will"An Efficient Antibacterial Minimally Invasive Device for Saphenous Vein Harvesting"(Patent No.: ZL 202211081512.6) assigned toBeijing Medos AT Biotechnology Co., Ltd.。

This achievement is primarily used in coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery to harvest the great saphenous vein or radial artery as conduit vessels.In traditional bypass surgery, isolating the target vessel from its collateral branches requires an incision on the patient’s arm or leg that corresponds to the length of the target segment, typically measuring 20–25 cm. The larger surgical wound can prolong postoperative recovery, increase the risk of infection, and potentially impact the patient’s daily life.

This device requires only a 2–3 cm incision; with the combined use of a guidewire and cannula, vascular dissection can be completed, with an average harvesting time of approximately 2–3 minutes per vessel.This approach is not only minimally invasive to patients but also simple to operate, effectively reducing the workload of clinicians.

Furthermore, the device’s bacteriostatic chamber is equipped with ultraviolet (UV) lamps to disinfect the cannula cutter, providing highly effective bacteriostatic action. The integrated cleaning system also removes blood from the cannula cutter during its extension and retraction, thereby preventing bacterial proliferation and reducing the risk of surgical complications.

Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting (CABG), also known as heart bypass surgery, is a common procedure used to treat coronary artery disease. The principle of the operation primarily involves using the patient’s own saphenous vein or radial artery to bypass narrowed or blocked segments of the coronary arteries, thereby improving blood supply to the myocardium.

In coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), harvesting the great saphenous vein may appear to be a simple step, but it is, in fact, the foundation for the entire procedure.

As the advantages of minimally invasive techniques become increasingly evident, clinicians are seeking methods to replace traditional “large-incision” saphenous vein harvesting. Currently, two approaches are predominantly used in clinical practice:Intermittent small-incision harvesting and endoscopic harvesting.

The intermittent small-incision harvesting technique involves making a small incision at the target vascular site, dissecting the great saphenous vein and its tributaries at the incision using conventional methods, and then injecting an appropriate amount of air into the adventitial sheath of the great saphenous vein to facilitate the dissection of vessel segments not directly exposed through the incision.This approach involves a small incision, facilitating intraoperative suturing and postoperative recovery.However, during the procedure, the small incision can obstruct the operator’s visual field. Slight carelessness may lead to accidental injury to nerves or blood vessels, resulting in complications and sequelae; therefore, the procedure demands a high level of proficiency and experience from the operator.

In contrast, the endoscopic harvesting technique involves inserting an endoscope through a small incision to dissect the target vein. Compared with the multiple small-incision harvesting method,This approach not only preserves the advantages of small incisions, such as facilitating postoperative recovery and reducing complications, but also addresses issues like limited operator visibility, enabling more intuitive procedural execution.Of course, endoscopic harvesting also has drawbacks. During blunt dissection of the vessels, this technique is prone to causing tearing of small branches, leading to injury of the great saphenous vein, particularly in patients with minimal subcutaneous fat where the great saphenous vein lies close to the skin.

According to the paper titled “Application of Endoscopic Saphenous Vein Harvesting in Off-Pump Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting” published by the team from the First Affiliated Hospital of Nanjing Medical University,Currently, the conventional open incision method is still widely used for tissue and vessel harvesting in China.As the annual volume of coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures continues to rise in China, an increasing number of patients present with risk factors for complications at lower limb incision sites. Consequently, many clinical experts in China have begun to conduct research on endoscopic vein harvesting (EVH) and promote its widespread adoption.

The number of patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) is substantial worldwide. Taking China as an example, according to the nationalAccording to the 2022 Overview of Cardiovascular Disease Medical Quality in China released by the National Center for Medical Quality Control in Cardiovascular Diseases, approximately 52,000 coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) procedures were performed in China in 2021.With advances in medical technology and an aging population, the number of patients requiring coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) surgery is expected to continue rising.

Therefore, as the foundation of vascular bypass surgery, instruments related to graft harvesting, particularly endoscopic vein harvesters, have formed a substantial market. According to Global Information’s 2024 report《Global Market Research Report on Endoscopic Vessel Harvesting Systems》Data: The global market size of endoscopic vein harvesting systems is projected to grow from USD 529.52 million in 2023 to nearly USD 755.64 million by 2032.

Currently, this field already has such asGetinge、LivaNova PLC、Terumo Corporationas medical device manufacturers roll out their strategic layouts.

Getinge’s Vasoview Hemopro is one of the representative products in this field. This product offers advantages such as high sensitivity, clear visualization, and efficient hemostasis, helping to improve surgical efficiency and patient outcomes. Currently, this product series has been iterated to its third generation, with Vasoview Hemopro3 receiving FDA 510(k) clearance in March 2024.

In addition to manufacturing endoscopes for vein harvesting, Terumo Corporation has also developed a series of complementary tools. The VirtuoSaph Plus endoscopic system, developed by Terumo Corporation, not only enables precise and safe dissection and harvesting of the great saphenous vein but is also compatible with Terumo’s high-frequency electrosurgical units, thereby enhancing surgical efficiency and safety.

As endoscopic vein harvesters have not yet been widely adopted in clinical practice in China, no domestically manufactured products in this field have currently received market approval.However, many research teams have already begun to focus on the field of novel endoscopes.

The Team of Cui Xiaoyao at the Suzhou Institute of Biomedical Engineering and TechnologyThe team has long been dedicated to research on miniature ultrasound probes and systems. In 2022, they successfully developed a dual-mode magnetically driven intravascular ultrasound robot, which significantly enhances operational flexibility and imaging stability during interventional procedures, offering a potential solution for visualizing complex intravascular environments. The related findings have been published in the journal IEEE/ASME Transactions on Mechatronics.

In addition,The team of Guan Baiou at the Institute of Photonics Technology, Jinan University, and the team of Huang Wei at the Endoscopy Center, the First Affiliated Hospital of Jinan University, have previously collaborated., successfully developed a novel fiber-optic photoacoustic endoscopy technique. This technology enables real-time monitoring of changes in blood oxygen saturation distribution while providing high-resolution images of vascular structures. The study was selected as one of the Optics Advances of 2023 by the Optical Society of America and published in Nature Communications.

Scientific and technological innovation is a key driver of industrialization. As domestic researchers continue to make breakthroughs in the field of novel endoscopes, the development of domestically produced products in this area is certain to flourish in the future.