St. Jude Medical Inc. (NYSE: STJ) has received Japanese regulatory approval to sell an ablation catheter used to treat patients with irregular heartbeats.
The company’s Therapy Cool Path Ablation Catheter is a thin tube that delivers radio-frequency energy to cardiac tissue to create lesions that interrupt the abnormal electrical signals that can cause cardiac arrhythmia, according to a statement from St. Jude.
The catheter is irrigated, meaning it uses a saline solution to cool its tip, which helps reduce risks like charring and coagulation that are associated with ablation. Ablation refers to the burning or melting of tissue.
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The approval marks St. Jude’s first entry into Japan’s irrigated ablation catheter market, according to the statement.
Despite the Dow being down about 1 percent in midday trading, St. Jude’s stock was up slightly to $36.65.