Bloomington, Ind., December 2, 2008 – Following its first year in use, the Cook Medical Resonance® Metallic Ureteral Stent has proven to successfully relieve extrinsic ureteral compression, a painful and often debilitating side effect of cancer. In addition, the Resonance Stent can remain in the patient for up to 12 months, resulting in a reduction of the costs accrued by both patients and their health care facilities stemming from the numerous interventions needed with alternative care. Additionally, long-term cancer patients may have health insurance policies that cap reimbursement for repeated procedures. As a result, charges for repeated stent changes may go unpaid.

Compression is primarily a result of malignant tumors that press up against the ureter, causing it to narrow. Studies show that ureteral compression from malignancy managed with standard ureteral stents that needed to be changed every three to five months resulted in an estimated cost of $4,123 per patient. ¹

The Resonance Metallic Ureteral Stent's unique design allows the patient's urinary system to drain normally while eliminating the need for costly stent changes or debilitating nephrostomy tubes that can interfere with the patient's quality of life. The stent's superior compressive and radial strength can withstand up to 25 times more extrinsic compression than plastic stents. ² As a result, the stent can remain patent for up to 12 months. Costs associated with stent change therapy over a 12-month period could be more than double the cost of a single Resonance implantation.

“Traditional plastic stents and nephrostomy tubes require patients to undergo additional procedures approximately every three to six months and often do not offer adequate drainage to improve patient comfort,” said Bodo Knudsen, MD, FRCSC of The Ohio State University Medical Center. “In my experience, the Resonance Stent has reduced the number of stent changes required for patients and provides increased drainage to significantly ease patient discomfort. As a result, overall quality of life may be improved for the patient and substantial time and money may be saved through fewer visits to the hospital.”

“Since its launch the Resonance Stent has proven to be a successful alternative to plastic stents, offering improved drainage rates and requiring fewer invasive stent changes for the patient,” said Jerry French, senior vice president and global strategic business unit leader for Cook Urology. “Cook's first commitment is to improving overall quality of life for patients. We are pleased to see the impact the Resonance Stent has had over the past year in improving patient care and reducing procedural costs for both patients and their health care facilities.”

About Cook Medical:
Cook Medical was one of the first companies to help popularize interventional medicine, pioneering many of the devices now commonly used worldwide to perform minimally invasive medical procedures. Today, the company integrates minimally invasive medical device design, biopharma, gene and cell therapy, and biotech to enhance patient safety and improve clinical outcomes in the fields of aortic intervention; interventional cardiology; critical care medicine; gastroenterology; radiology, peripheral vascular, bone access and oncology; surgery and soft tissue repair; urology; and assisted reproductive technology, gynecology and high-risk obstetrics. Founded in 1963 and operated as a family-held private corporation, Cook is a past winner of the prestigious Medical Device Manufacturer of the Year Award from Medical Device & Diagnostic Industry magazine. For more information, visit www.cookmedical.com.