EsoCheck (esophageal cell collection system)

2021: Announcement of a device for collecting esophageal cells in 5 minutes

At the end of May 2021, Lucid Diagnostics released the only device of its kind for collecting cells of the esophagus EsoCheck, which requires about 5 minutes to take a sample.

EsoCheck is a balloon capsule catheter that allows a doctor to non-invasively take samples of esophageal surface cells in less than five minutes, directly in the office or office of a general practitioner. Lucid advertises EsoCheck as the only device of its kind that allows you to purposefully take a sample without diluting or contaminating it from a selected anatomical zone.

EsoCheck (esophageal cell collection system)

The Esocheck cell collection device consists of a capsule containing a small balloon with a textured surface to improve cell collection, and two syringes of different volumes to fill the balloon. The capsule is attached to a 68 cm diameter catheter with five centimeter marks allowing the operator to understand when the capsule entered the stomach and the sampling balloon passed the target area of the esophagus. The patient swallows the capsule that reaches the stomach, the operator fills the balloon with air using one of the provided syringes, and the esophageal cells settle on a textured surface. Collect + protect technology protects the smear taken from dilution and contamination by drawing the sample bottle into the protective capsule. The doctor can only get a catheter and place a sample of cells in the preservation fluid for further analysis.

Lucid, a subsidiary of PAVmed, is also selling a DNA test to investigate EsoGuard esophageal cells as a screening tool for early detection of pre-cancer and esophageal cancer in patients with chronic heartburn who are at risk. As a "public medical device for in vitro diagnostics" under European Directive 98/79/EC, EsoGuard only requires certification, which Lucid and its authorized representative plan to complete by the end of 2021.^[1]

Notes