1. Capture
The NirvaMed CS Catheter™ is designed to capture contrast-contaminated blood from the coronary veins before it reaches the kidneys.
—Beta version—
Better heart
stenting
enabled by
kidney protection
NirvaMed is developing The Enhancer™ and NirvaMed CS Catheter™, an investigational contrast-removal platform designed to support the imaging physicians need during complex heart-stenting procedures while protecting the kidneys from the contrast media.
NirvaMed CS Catheter™The Enhancer™Product rendering for illustration; not the actual product.
Clinical Problem
Treating the heart can create a difficult choice for vulnerable kidneys.
During complex heart-stenting procedures, physicians need contrast media to see blocked arteries clearly. But many patients who need these procedures also have kidney disease. Higher contrast exposure, particularly above patient-specific recommended limits, is associated with a greater risk of acute kidney injury. Yet limiting contrast can make it harder to see and, therefore, to treat every blockage, sometimes requiring staged procedures or even stopping with unsuccessful heart stenting; otherwise, interventionists just have to proceed and accept the kidney risk.
Physicians should not have to choose between treating the heart and protecting the kidneys.
Learn more why this matter Click here+
Coronary artery disease narrows or blocks the arteries supplying the heart. It can cause chest pain, heart attack, heart failure and death.
Physicians can reopen blocked arteries using percutaneous coronary intervention, or PCI, a minimally invasive procedure commonly known as coronary angioplasty or heart stenting.
Clear visualization is essential.
During PCI, physicians inject contrast dye to make the coronary arteries visible on X-ray. Complex procedures often require more imaging, and therefore more contrast.
Many complex-PCI patients also have kidney disease.
A 2025 study, Clinical Outcomes after Complex and High-Risk Percutaneous Coronary Intervention According to Baseline Chronic Kidney Disease, examined 4,855 patients undergoing complex, high-risk PCI.
Nearly 4 in 10
patients in the study had chronic kidney disease.
2× more frequent
contrast-associated acute kidney injury occurred in patients with chronic kidney disease.
Physicians face a difficult trade-off.
Current strategies focus on identifying kidney risk, providing appropriate hydration and minimizing contrast. However, using less contrast can also limit visualization during complex treatment. For high-risk patients, particularly those with kidney disease or diabetes, physicians may need to stage treatment across multiple procedures, stop before treatment is complete, or continue while accepting greater potential kidney risk.
NirvaMed is developing a new approach designed to change this trade-off.
NirvaMed aims to remove contrast after it has provided the images needed to guide treatment, but before much of it enters systemic circulation.
Better heart treatment, enabled by reduced contrast exposure.
Read the 2025 study ↗NirvaMed’s Solution
2. Remove
The Enhancer™ removes contrast from the blood in real time, using the hemodialysis principle.
3. Return
Then, the cleaned blood is returned to the patient during the procedure.
The NirvaMed CS Catheter™
A multi-balloon coronary-sinus catheter designed to maintain stable positioning and capture nearly all contrast-contaminated coronary venous outflow across a wide range of anatomies.
The Enhancer™
An investigational, automated blood-processing system designed to perform high-efficiency, single-pass contrast removal while continuously monitoring contrast capture, removal performance, and blood volume to provide real-time feedback to the physician.
Designed to seamlessly fit into cath-lab workflow.
Development progress
Enhancer bench testing completed
More than90%contrast removed in one pass
In controlled laboratory testing, the Enhancer™ removed more than 90% of contras passing through our system in a single pass.
These laboratory results do not establish the safety or effectiveness of the system in patients.
Animal testing next
Next planned step
NirvaMed is preparing to test the NirvaMed Catheter™ and Enhancer™ together in animal studies to evaluate safety and contrast-removal performance before future human studies.
Human studies later
Team
Founder with unique medical and engineering background
Pramote HochareonM.D., Ph.D.
Pramote Hochareon, M.D., Ph.D., combines medical insight, bioengineering expertise and medical-device industry experience to guide NirvaMed’s technology development. He translates clinical needs into engineering priorities, leads the team at Siriraj, and connects its work with specialized expertise in Minnesota. His background at Siriraj, Penn State, the University of Minnesota and Boston Scientific helps bring clinical, research and product-development perspectives together.
- Clinical trainingSiriraj · Mahidol University
- Bioengineering & cardiovascular researchPenn State · University of Minnesota
- Medical-device developmentBoston Scientific · NirvaMed
Founder’s strong network with Minnesota
Minnesota is a global medical-device hub, offering NirvaMed access to specialized engineering expertise, advanced research facilities, and a strong network of medical-technology companies. Through collaborations with Resolution Medical on catheter engineering and product development and with the University of Minnesota’s Visible Heart® Laboratories on anatomical research and catheter design evaluation, NirvaMed benefits from Minnesota’s unique medical-device ecosystem.
NirvaMed is situated in Siriraj Hospital
Siriraj Hospital, part of Mahidol University, is one of Thailand’s leading medical institutions, bringing together advanced cardiovascular care, medical education and clinical research. Based at Siriraj, NirvaMed’s Thailand R&D team benefits from access to experienced physicians and researchers, advanced cardiac-catheterization facilities, and a clinical environment with approximately 1,500 PCI cases annually. These resources help the team understand real procedural needs, refine its technology with physician input, and support development and evaluation in a clinically relevant setting.
Approximate annual PCI volume based on the 2019 and 2024 Siriraj PCI Registry data.
Development in action
From anatomical research and catheter prototyping to bench testing and system integration, NirvaMed’s team is actively advancing the technology toward preclinical in vivo evaluation.
Physician input for catheter design
Imaging the heart’s blood vessels
Catheter testing platform development
Catheter development in Minnesota
Catheter evaluation in a heart specimen
CT-based catheter evaluation
Continuous Development of The Enhancer™
X-ray evaluation of contrast visibility
Contrast imaging study
First Animal study
Research and development activities across NirvaMed’s programmes. These photographs do not establish clinical safety or effectiveness of the contrast-removal platform.
—Contact—
Contact NirvaMed
Interested in learning more about NirvaMed or exploring a potential collaboration?
Thailand research & development
Nirvamed research laboratory
13th Srisavarindhira Building ( อาคารศรีสวรินทิรา )
Location: Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital
Street: Wang Lang Road, Siriraj Sub-district
District: Bangkok Noi District
City: Bangkok 10700, Thailand
Evidence and sources Click here+
- Global cardiovascular-disease burden
- The 4,855-patient complex, high-risk PCI study
- Current clinical strategies for reducing contrast-associated kidney risk
- Visible Heart® Laboratories — cardiac device testing, design and anatomical visualization
University of Minnesota · Official description of laboratory methods and capabilities.
- Resolution Medical — medical-device development and manufacturing capabilities
Resolution Medical · Official description of its development capabilities.
These institutional sources describe capabilities; they do not independently verify NirvaMed’s collaboration arrangements. Collaboration information is provided by NirvaMed.