Philips launches Bridge Plus balloon to manage rare, life-threatening SVC tears in lead extraction.

Royal Philips has introduced the Bridge Plus Occlusion Balloon, a device designed to quickly control bleeding during rare but critical superior vena cava (SVC) tears in transvenous lead extraction procedures. These tears, occurring in less than 0.5% of cases, can be fatal without immediate intervention. Bridge Plus deploys in under two minutes, reduces blood loss by up to 90%, and stabilizes patients for 30 minutes, buying crucial time for surgical repair. The device builds on proven technology used in over 50,000 procedures and is now available in the U.S., with international release expected later in 2026.