Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Program to provide the latest innovative hybrid imaging of coronary arteries for complex cases

Conavi Medical Inc. (www.conavi.com), a leader of hybrid imaging guidance for common minimally invasive heart procedures, and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, today announced that the Novasight Hybrid System is now being used for clinical procedures by interventional cardiologists as part of the Schulich Heart Program.

Sunnybrook’s Schulich Heart Program is one of Canada’s leading cardiac and vascular care centres with an international reputation for pioneering some of the world’s most innovative ways to diagnose and treat the heart and damaged blood vessels.

The hybrid intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) imaging platform, now called Novasight Hybrid System, was initially invented at Sunnybrook Research Institute (SRI) by Dr. Brian Courtney, a scientist and interventional cardiologist. It is the first and only clinical system available on the market that enables simultaneous and co-registered imaging of coronary arteries with both IVUS and OCT to help physicians visualize disease and deploy stents to open the arteries and restore blood flow in percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs).

“At Sunnybrook, we are continually striving to bring personalized and precise diagnostics and treatments to our patients. In fact, it’s a key part of our strategic plan,” said Andy Smith, President and CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre. “Novasight is one of the many innovative tools that Sunnybrook is working on to help us achieve our goal, and we couldn’t be more proud to use this Canadian-developed technology.”

The Schulich Heart Program provides comprehensive cardiac and vascular care for some of the most complex cases in Ontario. From prevention to acute intervention and long-term management, the Program addresses the greatest health challenges in all areas of the heart and vascular systems.

“Having both a technical and clinical care background, this hybrid system was invented based on a combination of intensive research activities in image guided therapy and clinical needs identified during patient care. I saw an opportunity to improve imaging for minimally invasive heart procedures by creating a hybrid system that combines IVUS and OCT imaging, rather than having to choose one or the other,” said Dr. Brian Courtney, interventional cardiologist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and chief medical officer and co-founder, Conavi Medical. “After years of development, it is incredibly rewarding to now be using this advanced and pragmatic technology at Sunnybrook, where it all started. The versatility of the system has already proved useful in a variety of complex cases, such as multi-vessel disease, heavy calcification, and cases where intravascular lithotripsy was used, allowing for better patient outcomes.”

Novasight Hybrid System has 510(k) clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, and regulatory approval for clinical use from Health Canada, and the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (MHLW) in Japan.

About Conavi Medical

Conavi Medical Inc., is a privately-held company focused on designing, manufacturing, and marketing imaging technologies to guide common minimally invasive cardiovascular procedures. The Company’s patented hybrid intravascular imaging system is the first and only of its kind to combine both intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) and optical coherence tomography (OCT) to enable simultaneous and co-registered imaging of coronary arteries. Conavi is focused on driving adoption of its advanced imaging solution. For more information, visit http://www.conavi.com/.

About Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre

Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is inventing the future of health care for the 1.3 million patients the hospital cares for each year through the dedication of its more than 16,000 staff, physicians, volunteers and learners. From our beginnings as a hospital for Canadian veterans, Sunnybrook has flourished into an internationally recognized leader in research and education with a full affiliation with the University of Toronto. Sunnybrook specializes in caring for high-risk pregnancies, veterans, critically-ill newborns and adults, offering specialized rehabilitation and treating and preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, neurological and psychiatric disorders, orthopaedic and arthritic conditions and traumatic injuries. Sunnybrook’s over 200 scientists and clinician-scientists conduct more than $100 million in breakthrough research each year.

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