New Vacuum Removes Blood Clots

Good news out of California today for those who have suffered from blood clots. A new device called the AngioVac System has been introduced to the healthcare community in San Diego.  The vacuum-like catheter based device works in this way:

• Tubes are inserted into two major veins in the body through the neck or groin
• Under X-ray guidance, the flexible tubes are advanced to the veins, right-sided heart chambers or lung arteries
• Each tube is equipped with an expandable balloon-shaped funnel tip that vacuums material such as a blood clot out of the body.

“This treatment option does not work for all patients, especially those who are in a life-threatening situation. This new device does allow our team to safely extract material, preventing the patient from having to undergo invasive, high-risk surgery,” Dr. Mitul Patel, interventional cardiologist at UC San Diego Health System, told San Diego 6.

The new procedure is performed by a team composed of anesthesiologists, cardiothoracic surgeons and interventional cardiologists. Although there are several factors that cause clots, there is hope that this new device will help catch the clot before it has the ability to break away from the blood vessels.

Photo Credit – UCSD Health Systems

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