Acute ischemic stroke occurs when blood flow to part of the brain is blocked, often by a thrombus or embolus. Rapid clot removal is critical because prolonged blockage can lead to permanent neurological injury or death. Aspiration catheters are increasingly used to suction clots from intracranial vessels and restore circulation; however, the path to the brain is tortuous, and fixed-tip catheter designs can be difficult to navigate. Fixed beveled tips may improve suction but can reduce trackability and increase concerns about vessel trauma or accidental puncture during intracranial navigation.
Invention Description
Researchers at the University of Toledo have developed an aspiration catheter with a dynamically adjustable distal tip for improved maneuvering and clot aspiration in intracranial circulation. The catheter includes an elongated flexible tube with a lumen and an adjustable tip controlled by pull wires extending from the proximal end to the distal end. By applying tension to one or more pull wires, the operator can selectively change the catheter tip from a round or non-beveled configuration to an angled or beveled configuration, then return it to a non-beveled shape when tension is released. This real-time tip control is intended to combine the suction benefits of a beveled tip with improved navigability through complex blood vessel pathways.
Applications
• Mechanical thrombectomy and aspiration procedures for acute ischemic stroke
• Intracranial thrombus removal in tortuous neurovascular anatomy
• Endovascular procedures requiring improved distal catheter tip control
• Clot aspiration in the internal carotid artery, M1/M2 middle cerebral artery segments, anterior or posterior cerebral arteries, or basilar artery
• Potential integration with suction pumps, microcatheters, retrievers, cages, baskets, or snares for clot capture and removal
Advantages
• Operator-adjustable tip can shift between round and beveled configurations in real time
• May improve catheter navigation through tortuous intracranial blood vessels
• Maintains benefits of beveled-tip aspiration while reducing drawbacks of a permanently fixed beveled tip
• Designed to improve first-pass clot removal efficiency
• May reduce risk of vessel injury or accidental puncture during navigation
• Radiopaque markers may allow visualization of tip configuration during the procedure
• Compatible with suction-based thrombus removal and adjunctive clot retrieval tools
Lead Inventors: Mouhammad Jumaa, Syed Zaidi
Publication: US20230233221A1