Shanghai MicroPort Endovascular MedTech (Group) Co., Ltd. (Endovastec™) recently hosted a product launch event titled “Elephant trunk for the heart: revival of the classic” for its Fontus™ Branched Surgical Stent Graft System (Fontus™), which was held back-to-back with a seminar on the stented elephant trunk procedure. Twenty-one experts from 17 hospitals gathered virtually to share clinical data and information related to the application of Fontus™, which attracted the attendance of over 5,000 viewers online.

Approved for marketing in December 2021, Fontus™ is the next-generation product of Endovastec™’s CRONUS™ Stent Graft System (CRONUS™). Building on the features of its predecessor, Fontus™ includes a unique single-branch structure that effectively avoids deep separation and anastomosis of the left subclavian artery, which significantly simplifies the procedure, making it suitable for various operations. The one-year clinical follow-up data of Fontus™ showed that compared with CRONUS™, its unibody branch design significantly shortens the time of left vertebral ischemia and cerebral perfusion, reducing the incidence of brain injury and neurological complications such as those associated with the recurrent laryngeal nerve. Its clinical results were fully recognized by medical teams.

The treatment of complex acute Stanford type A aortic dissection has been a key challenge in the field of aortic surgery, and the standard procedure for its treatment is known as "Sun's procedure", or total aortic arch replacement plus stented elephant trunk procedure. When it comes to separating and reconstructing the left subclavian artery, this procedure is prone to vascular and nerve damage, which, in addition to the deep aortic incision and difficult anastomosis, poses significant challenges to the surgeon.

At the product launch, Prof. Lizhong Sun, the creator of Sun's Procedure, said, "With the popularity of stented elephant trunk procedure, many companies around the world are developing surgical stent for the treatment of Stanford type A aortic dissection. The emergence of the new Fontus™ stent by Endovastec™ follows the trends of international research and further promotes the development of this specific area in China. ”

Mr. Qing Zhu, President of Endovastec™, introduced the background of Fontus™’s development and the eight-year development process. He stated, "Fontus™ is the first branched surgical stent graft ever approved for marketing in China and even globally. The launch of Fontus™ represents another step forward in the treatment of aortic disease. We hope that Fontus™ will provide clinicians with more strategic surgical options and a more convenient surgical experience that will benefit more patients with aortic disease.”