Updated July 20, 2026
The market rates, in one table
These are the published buyback prices in this niche as of July 2026 — the two market leaders publish nearly identical category structures, about $5 apart on the headline item. Treat them as the going rate for each category:
| Device category | Published market rate |
|---|---|
| ICE catheters (AcuNav, ViewFlex Xtra, VeriSight Pro, NuVision) | $60–$65 each |
| Steerable diagnostic catheters (DuoDeca, Halo, Lasso) | $18 each |
| Steerable Quad–Decapolar catheters | $14 each |
| Sheaths & transseptal introducers (Agilis w/ dilators, Swartz + BRK) | $10–$15 each |
| IVUS catheters (select Philips, Boston Scientific OptiCross) | $15 each |
| Fixed-curve diagnostic catheters | $8 each |
| EP catheter cables | $5 each |
| Ablation catheters; cut or damaged devices | Platinum value |
Want the math for your own volumes? The calculator turns your monthly device counts into a number. Or browse by category: EP catheters, ICE catheters, and the full buyback list.
What actually drives the value
Two buyers stand behind every price on that list. First, precious-metal refiners: catheter electrodes and tips contain platinum-group metals, which is why ablation catheters — the most electrode-dense devices — are priced at metal value rather than a flat rate, and why even damaged devices retain worth. Second, research, development, and training buyers who need real devices for non-clinical use and pay above scrap value for intact ones.
That second buyer is why condition matters: a whole, uncut catheter can sell into the higher-value channel, while a cut one usually can’t.
The mistake that costs labs money: cutting tips
One program model asks labs to cut the tips off catheters, sterilize the tips, batch them by the dozens, and ship metal only — payout floating with the platinum spot price. The per-gram number can sound attractive, but consider the whole transaction: staff time cutting and sterilizing, devices excluded from the intact-device market, and a payout you can’t predict from one shipment to the next.
The flat-rate, whole-device model exists precisely because facilities prefer it: don’t cut anything, don’t sterilize anything, don’t sort anything — drop the whole device in the container and collect a predictable per-device rate. Keeping devices whole keeps every sales channel open, which is what keeps flat rates at the top of the range.
Reading a quote like a buyer
- Itemization: a real quote prices each device line by line, and payment should arrive with an itemized statement you can reconcile. Anything less is a black box.
- Effort demanded: every minute of staff prep is cost. “No sorting, no cutting, free kits” should be table stakes.
- Payment speed: ask when payment arrives — the industry standard is about a week after receipt. ASC Sustain pays with an itemized report once your shipment is received.
- Damaged-device policy: ask what happens to cut or broken devices — the answer should be “send them; they’re valued at materials content,” not “we reject them.”
Bottom line: a typical center’s discard stream trades at $5–$65 per device, and product mix — not haggling — is what moves the monthly total. Depending on volume, that’s an income stream worth $1–2K a month that currently rides out the back door in a red bag.