InfraReDx Inc.‘s optical/acoustic imaging catheter was used for the first time in patients undergoing angiography in the Netherlands.
The Burlington-based near-infrared spectroscopy maker said the device, which uses both ultrasound waves and near-infrared light to provide images of the coronary plaque believed to cause most heart attacks, can help surgeons determine not only the shape of the plaque but its composition.
That means the device can help doctors assess the likelihood of further cardiovascular problems stemming from the plaque lining patients’ blood vessels.
Surgeons at the Thoraxcenter in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, used the device for the first time in patients during procedures to examine coronary plaque deposits.