The Pioneer Plus catheter is intended to facilitate placement and positioning of catheters within the peripheral vasculature. The Pioneer Plus catheter also provides an intraluminal cross-sectional ultrasound image of the area of interest to facilitate placement of guidewires beyond stenotic lesions (e.g., sub-total, total or chronic total occlusions) prior to additional intervention (i.e. PTA, stent, etc.). The Pioneer Plus catheter is not indicated for use in the coronary or cerebral vasculature.
Device Story
Dual lumen catheter for peripheral vasculature; tracks over 0.014" guidewire. Features distal IVUS transducer for intraluminal cross-sectional imaging; extendable hollow Nitinol needle (up to 7mm) for guidewire redirection. Operated by physician under fluoroscopic guidance; needle deployment via handle-integrated ring. IVUS imaging enables needle navigation to bypass stenotic lesions. Output: real-time ultrasound visualization of vessel lumen. Benefit: facilitates guidewire crossing of complex occlusions, enabling subsequent therapeutic interventions.
Clinical Evidence
Bench testing only. Evaluated visual inspection, outer diameter, braid durability, bend radius, and tensile testing against product specifications. All tests met acceptance criteria with 95/95 confidence/reliability.
Technological Characteristics
Dual lumen catheter; materials include Nitinol (needle), braided stainless steel, and Vestamid. Distal IVUS transducer for imaging. Dimensions: compatible with 6F introducer, 0.014" guidewire, needle internal diameter 0.016". Standards: ISO 13485, ISO 14971, ISO 10993-1, 10993-4, 10993-5. Sterilization and packaging unchanged.
Indications for Use
Indicated for patients requiring catheter placement and positioning within peripheral vasculature, specifically to facilitate guidewire placement beyond stenotic lesions (sub-total, total, or chronic total occlusions) prior to interventions like PTA or stenting. Contraindicated for use in coronary or cerebral vasculature.
Regulatory Classification
Identification
A percutaneous catheter is a device that is introduced into a vein or artery through the skin using a dilator and a sheath (introducer) or guide wire.
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Food and Drug Administration 10903 New Hampshire Avenue Document Control Center - WO66-G609 Silver Spring, MD 20993-0002
December 2, 2016
Philips Volcano Mary Stanners Regulatory Affairs Specialist 3721 Valley Centre Drive, Suite 500 San Diego, CA 92130
Re: K162418
Trade/Device Name: Pioneer Plus Catheter Regulation Number: 21 CFR 870.1250 Regulation Name: Percutaneous Catheter Regulatory Class: Class II Product Code: PDU, ITX Dated: November 02, 2016 Received: November 04, 2016
Dear Ms. Stanners:
We have reviewed your Section 510(k) premarket notification of intent to market the device referenced above and have determined the device is substantially equivalent (for the indications for use stated in the enclosure) to legally marketed predicate devices marketed in interstate commerce prior to May 28, 1976, the enactment date of the Medical Device Amendments, or to devices that have been reclassified in accordance with the provisions of the Federal Food. Drug, and Cosmetic Act (Act) that do not require approval of a premarket approval application (PMA). You may, therefore, market the device, subject to the general controls provisions of the Act. The general controls provisions of the Act include requirements for annual registration, listing of devices. good manufacturing practice, labeling, and prohibitions against misbranding and adulteration. Please note: CDRH does not evaluate information related to contract liability warranties. We remind you, however, that device labeling must be truthful and not misleading.
If your device is classified (see above) into either class II (Special Controls) or class III (PMA), it may be subject to additional controls. Existing major regulations affecting your device can be found in the Code of Federal Regulations, Title 21, Parts 800 to 898. In addition, FDA may publish further announcements concerning your device in the Federal Register.
Please be advised that FDA's issuance of a substantial equivalence determination does not mean that FDA has made a determination that your device complies with other requirements of the Act or any Federal statutes and regulations administered by other Federal agencies. You must comply with all the Act's requirements, including, but not limited to: registration and listing (21 CFR Part 807); labeling (21 CFR Part 801); medical device reporting (reporting of medical devicerelated adverse events) (21 CFR 803); good manufacturing practice requirements as set forth in the quality systems (QS) regulation (21 CFR Part 820); and if applicable, the electronic product radiation control provisions (Sections 531-542 of the Act); 21 CFR 1000-1050.
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If you desire specific advice for your device on our labeling regulation (21 CFR Part 801), please contact the Division of Industry and Consumer Education at its toll-free number (800) 638-2041 or (301) 796-7100 or at its Internet address
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ResourcesforYou/Industry/default.htm. Also, please note the regulation entitled, "Misbranding by reference to premarket notification" (21 CFR Part 807.97). For questions regarding the reporting of adverse events under the MDR regulation (21 CFR Part 803), please go to
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/Safety/ReportaProblem/default.htm for the CDRH's Office of Surveillance and Biometrics/Division of Postmarket Surveillance.
You may obtain other general information on your responsibilities under the Act from the Division of Industry and Consumer Education at its toll-free number (800) 638-2041 or (301) 796-7100 or at its Internet address
http://www.fda.gov/MedicalDevices/ResourcesforYou/Industry/default.htm.
Sincerely yours,
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for Bram D. Zuckerman, M.D. Director Division of Cardiovascular Devices Office of Device Evaluation Center for Devices and Radiological Health
Enclosure
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# Indications for Use
510(k) Number (if known) K162418
Device Name Pioneer Plus Catheter
Indications for Use (Describe)
The Pioneer Plus catheter is intended to facilitate placement and positioning of catheters within the peripheral vasculature. The Pioneer Plus catheter also provides an intraluminal cross-sectional ultrasound image of interest to facilitate placement of guidewires beyond stenotic lesions (e.g., sub-total, total occlusions) prior to additional intervention (i.e. PTA, stent, etc.). The Pioneer Plus catheter is not indicated for use in the coronary or cerebral vasculature.
| Type of Use (Select one or both, as applicable) | |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| <span style="font-size:10pt"><label><input checked="true" type="checkbox"/> Prescription Use (Part 21 CFR 801 Subpart D)</label></span> | <span style="font-size:10pt"><label><input type="checkbox"/> Over-The-Counter Use (21 CFR 801 Subpart C)</label></span> |
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______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
## 510(K) SUMMARY
| SPONSOR: | Philips Volcano<br>3721 Valley Centre Drive, Suite 500<br>San Diego, CA 92130 |
|---------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| CONTACT/SUBMITTER: | Mary Stanners<br>Regulatory Affairs Specialist<br>Philips Volcano<br>3721 Valley Centre Drive, Suite 500<br>San Diego, CA 92130<br>Tel: (858) 764-1296<br>mary.stanners@philips.com |
| DATE OF SUBMISSION: | November 2, 2016 |
| DEVICE: | |
| Trade Name: | Pioneer Plus Catheter |
| Common Name: | Diagnostic Ultrasound Transducer and Ultrasound Transducer |
Classification and Product Codes:
| CFR Number | Class | Product Code |
|--------------------------------------------------|-------|--------------|
| 21 CFR 870.1250 Percutaneous Catheter | II | PDU |
| 21 CFR 892.1570 Diagnostic Ultrasound Transducer | II | ITX |
### PREDICATE DEVICE:
| 510(k) Number: | K101777 |
|----------------|---------|
|----------------|---------|
Trade Name: Pioneer Plus Catheter
Common Name: Diagnostic Ultrasound Transducer and Ultrasound Transducer
Classification and Product Codes:
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| CFR Number | Class | Product Code |
|--------------------------------------------------|-------|--------------|
| 21 CFR 870.1250 Percutaneous Catheter | II | PDU |
| 21 CFR 892.1570 Diagnostic Ultrasound Transducer | II | ITX |
### DEVICE DESCRIPTION:
The Pioneer Plus catheter is intended to facilitate placement and positioning of catheters within the peripheral vasculature. The Pioneer Plus catheter also provides an intraluminal cross-sectional ultrasound image of the area of interest to facilitate placement of guidewires beyond stenotic lesions (e.g., sub-total, total or chronic total occlusions) prior to additional intervention (i.e. PTA, stent, etc.). The Pioneer Plus catheter is not indicated for use in the coronary or cerebral vasculature.
The Pioneer Plus catheter is a dual lumen catheter that is inserted through a commercially available 6F introducer sheath and placed percutaneously into a peripheral vessel. The Pioneer Plus catheter tracks to its intended site in the vasculature over a standard, commercially available 0.014" (0.36 mm) tracking guidewire. The Pioneer Plus catheter utilizes an extendable, hollow Nitinol needle - minimum internal needle diameter: 0.016" (0.43 mm): it is compatible with floppy 0.014" (0.36 mm) over the wire (OTW) guidewires to facilitate the redirection and placement of the guidewire into peripheral vessels. The needle orientation placement is achieved through the use of an intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) transducer mounted at the distal end of the Pioneer Plus catheter. The Pioneer Plus catheter operator navigates the peripheral vasculature under fluoroscopic guidance and uses IVUS imaging to direct the needle to achieve optimal placement. The operator uses the Needle Deployment Ring incorporated into the handle of the Pioneer Plus catheter to extend the needle from the catheter. The needle can be extended up to 7mm in length, or to a pre-determined distance using the Stop Ring. A 0.014" (0.36 mm) OTW guidewire (needle guidewire) can then be advanced through the needle and used to facilitate the placement of subsequent catheters once the Pioneer Plus device is withdrawn.
#### INDICATIONS FOR USE:
The indications for Use remain the same and are as follows:
The Pioneer Plus catheter is intended to facilitate placement and positioning of catheters within the peripheral vasculature. The Pioneer Plus catheter also provides an intraluminal cross-sectional ultrasound image of the area of interest to facilitate placement of guidewires beyond stenotic lesions (e.g., sub-total, total or chronic total occlusions) prior to additional intervention (i.e. PTA, stent, etc.). The Pioneer Plus catheter is not indicated for use in the coronary or cerebral vasculature.
### COMPARISON OF TECHNOLOGICAL CHARACTERISICS:
The modification made to the Pioneer Plus Catheter is a double wrap of Vestamid sheath material to the area located at the bonded joint of the braided stainless steel outer shaft and the Vestamid distal sleeve to improve braid containment. The Vestamid sheath material is already used on the Pioneer Plus Catheter,
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there is just an additional wrap of that same material that did not change the Outer Dimension (OD). There was also tightening of a specification for the braided wire and an inspection method. The modifications do not affect the intended use of the device or technologies and it does not alter the fundamental scientific technologies. The proposed design change does not change the fundamental operating principles of the device. The indications for use are identical to those of the currently marketed device. These changes have no impact to the Pioneer Plus Catheter sterilization, materials, or packaging. The modified catheter is substantially equivalently to currently marketed device.
### PERFORMANCE DATA:
Non-clinical device testing was conducted to confirm the performance of the modified device. Bench testing was conducted against known standards or product specification and evaluated Visual Inspection, Outer Diameter (OD) Measurement, Braid Durability, Bend Radius (Kink) and Tensile Testing. All testing met the acceptance criterial with 95/95 confidence/reliability.
The successful completion of performance testing concluded that the modified Pioneer Plus Catheter is substantially equivalent to the current Pioneer Plus Catheter.
The design change did not introduce new material and does not impact sterility or packaging. All packaging materials and processes remain the same. The sterile barrier system remains the same. The modified Pioneer Plus Catheter is packaged in the same configuration as the current Pioneer Plus.
| BS EN ISO 13485:2012 | Medical Devices Quality Management System Requirements for Regulatory Purposes |
|----------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| ISO 14971:2012 | Medical Devices - Application of Risk Management to Medical Devices |
| 10993-1 | Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices – Part 1: Evaluating and Testing within a Risk Management Process |
| 10993-4 | Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices – Part 4: Selection of Tests for Interactions with Blood |
| 10993-5 | Biological Evaluation of Medical Devices – Part 5: Tests for In Vitro Cytotoxicity |
For this Pioneer Plus Catheter modification, the following standards as described in this submission's FDA 3654 Standards forms (Attachment F) were followed:
The following tests were completed; visual inspection, outer diameter (OD) measurement, braid durability, bend radius and tensile testing and the modified Pioneer Plus Double Layer Joint design change met all acceptance criteria.
Two short videos show you everything — or skip straight to the written tutorial if you'd rather read. You can reopen this any time from the Tutorial button in the top bar.
Part 1 — Search, results, and everyday workflows 16 min
Part 2 — Embeddings: the galaxy map 3 min
1. Search: exact and fuzzy
Type a phrase like "coronary artery calcification" into the search box. You get two kinds of results. Exact results match the literal phrase — prefix searches work ("coronary artery calcificati") but suffix searches do not. Fuzzy results match on the meaning and intent of your phrase rather than the exact words, and are sorted by relevance score. Hover over the Exact or Fuzzy badge on any row to see exactly why it matched.
Use the checkboxes above the results to narrow: SaMD keeps only software-only devices, AI / ML keeps only devices with AI.
Exact vs. fuzzy search: what's the difference?
Exact matches on the literal phrase (prefix search works, suffix does not). Fuzzy matches on the meaning and intent of the phrase rather than the exact words. Hover over the badge on any row to see why it matched.
You search "coronary artery calcification" and want only software devices with AI. What two filters do you apply?
Narrow by SaMD (software-only devices), then narrow by AI/ML (devices with AI).
2. The results table
Scroll right in the results table. The intended use is extracted for you — no need to open the PDF. The device story gives a high-level snapshot of what the device does and how it's used. The AI Performance sub-table shows each output name, acceptance criteria, observed values, and development/test dataset descriptions — the same format Innolitics uses for regulatory strategy outputs, and the fastest high-level fingerprint of an AI device. It is AI-generated but has been very reliable in practice.
Where do you find a device's intended use without opening the PDF?
Scroll right in the search results table. The intended use column is extracted for you; no need to dig into the 510(k) summary PDF.
What does the AI Performance sub-table show, and why is it useful?
Output name, acceptance criteria, observed values, development dataset description, and test dataset description. It's the same format we use for regulatory strategy output and Fast 510(k) input, and the fastest high-level fingerprint of an AI device. AI-generated but reliable in practice.
3. Judging fuzzy relevance
Fuzzy results trail off in relevance as you scroll. Use three signals to decide how far down to go: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether your target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, you're past the relevant zone. A top hit with a low score (~0.4) and a stretched explanation is a hint the closest predicates are far away — the project may be headed for De Novo. Note the fuzzy search is a pattern match: it doesn't handle negation ("not") well, and hardware devices can appear — filter by SaMD/AI ML to cut them.
How do you judge how far down fuzzy search results to go?
Use the relevancy signals: the fuzzy badge explanations, the intended use column, and whether the target output (e.g., Cobb angle) still appears in the AI Performance sub-table. Once it stops appearing, results are trailing off in relevancy.
4. Device detail page: chat and citations
Click a device name to open its detail page: device facts on the left, a chat window on the right. Ask something like "Describe the training data". The answer carries little citation bubbles — click one to jump to the highlighted passage in the source PDF, so you can verify every AI answer against the document. There's also a Download PDF button for sharing.
How do you verify an AI chat answer on the device detail page?
Click the citation bubbles to jump to the relevant highlight in the source document.
Reading rule for every project: how many summaries do you read in full?
At least the three most relevant 510(k) or De Novo summaries, in full. After that, use targeted chat questions to confirm your memory quickly. The tool supports this professional habit — it doesn't replace it.
5. Side-by-side comparison
Select multiple rows in the results table (aim for under ~10), then open the PDF Viewer tab. Ask one question — it goes to all selected devices in parallel, each with citations. This is the fastest way to compare and contrast devices: training data, PCCP scope, how they handled adding new scanners, and so on.
What does the side-by-side PDF viewer mode do?
Select multiple devices, open the PDF viewer tab, and ask one question (e.g., "Describe the training data"). It queries all selected devices simultaneously with citations, so you can compare and contrast quickly.
6. Collections
With rows selected, go to the Collections tab and create a labeled collection (e.g., "Cobb Angle Project"). Reload that selection any time — before a client call, pull up the collection and ask questions across all of its devices at once.
How do you save a set of selected devices for later use?
Select the rows, go to the Collections tab, and create a labeled collection (e.g., "Cobb Angle Project"). You can reload the selection anytime and carry it into the PDF viewer and other tabs that support selections.
7. Product codes and the regulations tree
Click a product code in the results to jump to it in the regulations tree — identification text, sibling product codes, and devices you can open in a PDF viewer on the right. Click a regulation number to see its identification, special controls, and related product codes. You can also search by product code or regulation number at the top of the tree. Always read the special controls if any exist for your device — it broadens your search and sharpens pre-kickoff research.
What can you do from the regulations tree view?
Browse product codes and regulation numbers, read the identification text and special controls, browse sibling product codes, open device PDFs on the right, and search by product code or regulation number at the top of the tree.
8. Chart view
Click Show Chart and segment by regulation number (or product code) to see which regulations dominate your result set. Clicking a regulation takes you into the regulations tree. Great for spotting that most matches are, say, hardware laparoscopic devices — a cue to go back and filter.
How do you see which regulations dominate a search result set?
Click "Show Chart" and segment by Regulation Number. Clicking a regulation takes you to the regulations tree.
9. The predicate graph
Open the Predicates tab for a family-tree view of predicate relationships. Click a node to trace its parents and children; selections from search carry over pre-selected. Commonly predicated devices are worth reading — a lot of people predicated them for a reason. The visual lineage is also handy on client calls, e.g. to show how a predicate family evolved and justify why your predicate still holds.
In the predicate graph, why are commonly predicated devices worth reading?
A lot of people predicated them for a reason. Clicking a node traces parents and children, and selections from search carry over pre-selected.
10. Embeddings: the galaxy map
The Embeddings tab plots every matching document in a 2-D "galaxy map" where semantically similar devices cluster together. Hover or click clusters to explore, and let AI label the clusters for you. Embeddings beat product codes for grouping: two devices can carry different product codes (LLZ vs. QIH) yet do the same thing — the embedding captures the meaning of the intended use and device story. This is also exactly how retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) works under the hood, and it makes a great visual on client calls.
Try it yourself
Head to the search page and work through a few of these AI/ML fuzzy searches to build intuition: perivascular fat on CT · aortic valve calcification opportunistic screening on noncontrast CT · breast cancer prediction on digital pathology slides · autism detection · gestational age prediction · a hearing aid that can also detect a pulse · foundation model based analysis of ECG · large language models · penetration test. Watch how the relevance scores, intended use, and AI Performance tables tell you when results stop being meaningful.