Medtronic has acquired the OsteoCool device technology from Montreal-based Baylis Medical. It has been developed to treat cancers that metastasize to the spine, and today it announced the device’s FDA clearance. The OsteoCool device treats pain by using a pair of cooled radiofrequency probes to ablate cancerous lesions in the spine that have metastasized from other cancers.
The OsteoCool device won 510(k) clearance in March 2012, a second version landed another 510(k) in June 2015, and Baylis just got the thumbs up for the third iteration alongside its the acquisition. The system is temperature controlled and uses internally water-cooled probes to prevent overheating of surrounding tissue during the procedure.
According to MassDevice, Medtronic said CE Mark approval in the European Union for the device is pending. Medtronic acquired the technology from Baylis on Dec. 16, 2015, for an undisclosed amount.
“We’re pleased to be partnering with Medtronic to improve the treatment of patients suffering from spinal metastases,” Baylis president Kris Shah said in a company statement. “Our company has a long, established track record of developing innovative clinical solutions. We are excited that this partnership with Medtronic will enhance patient access to our novel spinal tumor ablation technology.”
Photo: Flickr user Michael Dorausch
