Transcatheter vacuum‐assisted left‐sided mass extraction with the AngioVac system
Mohammed Qintar, Dee Dee Wang, James Lee, Pedro Villablanca, Marvin H. Eng, Tiberio Frisoli, Brian O’Neill, William W. O’Neill
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: To study the safety and efficacy of AngioVac for left-sided transcatheter vacuum-assisted mass extraction (TVME). BACKGROUND: The AngioVac system is approved for right-sided TVME and has emerged as an effective and safe alternative for open surgical treatment. The use of the AngioVac device for aspiration of left-sided TVME has been limited. METHODS: Consecutive patients from two Michigan centers who underwent left-sided TVME were included. Data on patient demographics, procedural information, in-hospital and follow-up events were collected through electronic medical records review. Technical success was defined as aspirating of 70%-100% of the material. RESULTS: Ten patients (mean age 58.3 [±17.3] years, 50% male) were included. Indications for TMVE were in large for recurrent embolic events. All patients underwent bilateral cerebro-embolic protection using the Sentinel device. The total mean procedure time was 192.5 (±47.5) min of which the meantime for active aspiration (bypass time) was 9.3 (±4.2) min. The circuit configuration was: arteriovenous (AV) in four cases and arterioarterial (AA) in six cases. Successful aspiration was achieved in 80% of cases. No complications were reported (range follow-up 1-16 months). CONCLUSIONS: Our small case series demonstrates the feasibility and safety of the AngioVac system in left-sided mass extraction. Larger trials are needed to further demonstrate its effectiveness and safety and potentially apply for on-label use.