Mechanical thromboembolectomy in acute embolic peripheral arterial occlusions with use of the AngioJet Rapid Thrombectomy System

Minimal Modification to the Trerotola Backbleeding Technique Increases Its Effectiveness

Thrombectomy of a clotted upper arm access may be complicated by brachial artery embolization. A number of techniques have been described to relieve the embolization that may not always be successful. Backbleeding is one such technique. We describe a minimal modification that makes backbleeding more effective.

Rheolytic thrombectomy in patient with massive pulmonary embolism: a case report and review of literature

OBJECTIVE

Despite advances in management with thrombolytic therapy or open embolectomy, the mortality rate remains high in patients with massive pulmonary embolism (MPE).

BACKGROUND

We present a case of 51-year-female patient who collapsed while jogging and was brought to the Emergency Department. Upon arrival, she was found to have marked hypotension and hypoxia. EKG showed marked ST T abnormalities suggestive of anterior and lateral ischemia. Blood was drawn for labs. Patient received aspirin, heparin, and was transferred to cardiac catheterization laboratory.

METHODS

Coronary angiogram revealed normal epicardial coronaries. A pigtail catheter was inserted through right femoral vein and pulmonary angiogram was performed. It revealed bilateral MPE. Tissue plasminogen activator was initiated as per standard protocol. A 7-French aspiration catheter (Export, Medtronic Vascular, Santa Rosa, CA) was used without any success. Rheolytic thrombectomy (RT) (AngioJet, Possis, Minneapolis, MN) was performed successfully with adjunctive local and systemic thrombolytic therapy. Immediate pulmonary angiogram showed increased perfusion through right pulmonary artery. Her hemodynamic status improved significantly. Patient was discharged home after 8 days of hospitalization. Patient remains on lifelong anticoagulation therapy and she continues to remain stable at 20 months follow up.

CONCLUSIONS

RT with adjunctive localized and systematic thrombolytic therapy was performed successfully in this patient with MPE and significant hemodynamic compromise. In our patient who was very unstable from cardio-respiratory perspective with maximized hemodynamic support, RT device use was life saving. RT has an advantage of not dispersing emboli particles to the distal pulmonary circulation.

Beyond intravenous thrombolysis

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke trial of recombinant tissue plasminogen activator has been considered a landmark study in the acute treatment of ischemic stroke. Unfortunately, only a small percentage of all ischemic stroke patients presents to the hospital in time to receive the drug. Moreover, the recannalization rate of a major artery occlusion, such as the proximal middle cerebral artery or top of the internal carotid artery occlusion, after intravenous (IV) thrombolytic therapy has been disappointingly low. Since the Food and Drug Administration's approval of IV plasminogen activator, there have been numerous randomized clinical trials investigating the safety and efficacy of different thrombolytics administered in various time frames. In addition to the IV administration, efforts have been made in order to study the radiographic as well as clinical effects of intra-arterial (IA) thrombolysis. The combination of IV and IA thrombolysis has been studied. For patients who do not qualify for receiving chemical thrombolysis, new devices have been developed for mechanical thrombectomy. Angioplasty and stenting procedures are being performed more frequently than in the past as one of the treatment modalities for acute ischemic stroke patients. Relentless research effort is being made internationally in order to fight the devastating disease which now goes beyond the conventional IV thrombolysis.

AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy versus local intrapulmonary thrombolysis in massive pulmonary embolism: a retrospective data analysis

PURPOSE

To compare the efficacy of full-dose local intrapulmonary thrombolysis (LIT) versus AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy (ART) in the treatment of massive pulmonary embolism.

METHODS

A retrospective review was conducted of 8 consecutive patients (5 women; mean age 66.0+/-5.9 years, range 56-74) who underwent LIT with high-dose intrapulmonary urokinase (4400 IU/kg over 10 minutes followed by a 2000-IU/kg/h infusion) and a subsequent 6 consecutive patients (4 men; mean age of 59.2+/-17.0 years, range 26-69) who underwent ART plus adjunctive low-dose urokinase infusions (100,000 IU) until hemodynamic recovery was achieved. Pre and postprocedural Miller scores were calculated, and relative Miller score improvement, total urokinase doses, and duration of therapy were compared.

RESULTS

Hemodynamic stability was restored in all 8 LIT patients and in 5 (83%) of the 6 ART patients; 1 (16.7%) patient died during the ART procedure due to recurrent MPE. In the LIT group, the mean Miller score prior to intervention was 17.38+/-2.67, which was reduced to 6.13+/-1.46 after the intervention (p<0.0001) compared to scores of 18.83+/-2.86 and 6.83+/-2.79, respectively, in the ART group (p<0.0001). The mean urokinase dose was 2.07+/-0.44 million IU in the LIT group versus 0.70+/-0.36 million IU in the ART group (p<0.0001). The mean duration of therapy was 11.45+/-2.94 hours in the LIT group versus 3.37+/-1.41 hours in the ART group (p<0.0001). No significant difference in relative Miller score improvement was observed.

CONCLUSION

By accelerating the fragmentation of thrombus, ART plus adjunctive low-dose urokinase seems to be more rapidly effective compared to LIT. ART achieves both rapid cardiovascular relief and reduces the dose of thrombolytic agent necessary in patients with massive pulmonary embolism.

Percutaneous Rheolytic Thrombectomy for Treatment of Acute Renal-Artery Thrombosis

PURPOSE

We present our experience with percutaneous rheolytic treatment with the AngioJet thrombectomy catheter for acute renal-artery thrombosis.

CASE REPORT

A 63-year-old male patient with renal-artery thrombosis presented 48 hours after the onset of acute nonradiating flank pain. Thrombosis was documented by CT angiography, 99mTc-DTPA, and digital subtraction angiography. A percutaneous thrombectomy was performed with the AngioJet catheter. At the end of the procedure, the arterial lumen was patent, and no underlying stenosis or other deformity of the arterial wall was found. Thus, the cause of the obstruction was considered to be an embolus. After the procedure, urokinase was given to prevent distal occlusions from emboli that could have escaped mechanical thrombectomy. Heparin was also administered. The patient was released from the hospital with a patent renal unit and ameliorated serum creatinine concentration.

CONCLUSION

We propose the use of the AngioJet thrombectomy catheter for the percutaneous treatment of acute renal-artery thrombosis.

Use of Rheolytic Thrombectomy in Treatment of Acute Massive Pulmonary Embolism

PURPOSE

The 6-F Xpeedior (AngioJet; Possis Medical, Minneapolis, MN) rheolytic thrombectomy catheter (RTC) uses high velocity saline jets for thrombus aspiration, maceration, and evacuation, through the Bernoulli principle. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of thrombus removal using the RTC in patients with acute massive pulmonary embolism (PE).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Seventeen patients (mean age, 51.7 + 16.6 years; range, 30-86 years; 9 men, 8 women) with massive PE initially diagnosed by computed tomography (CT) or VQ scan and confirmed by pulmonary angiography were treated with the RTC. All patients had acute onset of PE symptoms and all presented with hemodynamic compromise and dyspnea. Ten of 17 patients had enough residual thrombus to warrant adjuvant catheter directed thrombolytic infusion with reteplase. Six patients had contraindications to thrombolytic therapy. One patient presented with renal cell carcinoma and tumor embolus as suspected cause of PE. Angiographic and clinical outcomes during the hospital stay were evaluated.

RESULTS

The RTC was successfully delivered and operated via a 0.035-inch guide wire in all attempted cases. Treatment resulted in immediate angiographic improvement and initial relief of PE symptoms (improvement in dyspnea and oxygen saturation) in 16 of 17 patients. One patient developed heart block during the procedure, and further treatment with the RTC was discontinued. Bradycardia occurred in one patient (managed with lidocaine). After thrombectomy, 10 patients received adjunctive reteplase thrombolysis for treatment of residual thrombus, and 12 received inferior vena cava (IVC) filters. In the patient with renal cell carcinoma, histopathologic analysis of the evacuated material confirmed tumor origin of the embolism. There were two deaths, both within 24 hours of treatment and secondary to PE. One death occurred in a patient who had only minimal thrombus removal after treatment with the RTC and no thrombolysis. The remaining 15 patients showed continued improvement in PE symptoms and were eventually discharged from the hospital with mean length of stay 10.3 + 6.5 days (range, 5-30 days).

CONCLUSIONS

Rheolytic thrombectomy can be performed effectively in patients with massive PE. However, a large portion of the patients in this study underwent adjuvant overnight thrombolytic infusion. Further evaluation in a larger cohort of patients is warranted to assess whether this treatment may offer an alternative or complement to thrombolysis or surgical thrombectomy.

Rheolytic Thrombectomy of Acute Stent Thrombosis of Cervical Vertebral Artery

A new Xpeedior rheolytic thrombectomy catheter has been successfully used to extract thrombus from an acutely thrombosed vertebral artery stent without apparent distal embolism. The ease of use and the speed of thrombectomy suggest that this system may be useful for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

Acute renal artery thrombosis treated by percutaneous rheolytic thrombectomy

Renal artery thrombosis or embolus is a rare condition that may lead to hypertension and renal failure. Treatment options in the past have had limited success. We present a case which demonstrates the use of percutaneous rheolytic therapy with the Angiojet atherectomy catheter to treat this condition in the acute setting.

The management of acute limb ischemia: techniques for dealing with thrombus

Acute limb ischemia (ALI) has long been a major clinical problem, producing significant risks for limb loss and death. It is most commonly caused by arterial thrombosis in the setting of underlying atherosclerotic peripheral vascular disease or by arterial embolism, usually of cardiac origin. Over the past several decades, preferred treatment options for ALI have alternated between medical and surgical approaches. More recently, direct intra-arterial thrombolysis became the standard of care after several randomized trials demonstrated the benefit of this approach as compared with acute surgical intervention. Despite all of the experience with direct intra-arterial thrombolysis for the treatment of ALI, the optimal thrombolytic approach not been clearly established. Current investigation is directed at identifying the ideal thrombolytic agent for this purpose and the appropriate dosing regimen. In addition, there is interest in the newer mechanical thrombectomy devices and the use of platelet glycoprotein IIb/IIIa inhibitors to speed the time to reperfusion of the acutely ischemic limb.

Type III heart block with peripheral use of the Angiojet thrombectomy system

The authors describe the occurrence of type III heart block in a patient undergoing a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt recanalization with use of the AngioJet thrombectomy system.