Cardiovascular Institute of the South (CIS) and Terrebonne General Health System used the Pounce™ Venous Thrombectomy System for the removal of venous clots in the legs. McCall Walker, MD, CIS interventional cardiologist, was the first to use this system in the cardiac cath lab at Terrebonne General.
Manufactured by Surmodics, the Pounce™ Venous Thrombectomy System uses dual-action technology with a spring-tension basket design that self-adapts to the vessel diameter, keeping wall-to-wall contact as it softens and collects clots along the vessel wall. The basket forces the clot into the window where it activates an extraction screw to transport the clot to a bag outside of the body. Its 10Fr size catheter is designed to enable access of the peripheral vessels and can be used with a variety of vessel sizes, six millimeters or more in diameter.
“This system is made to mechanically remove tough clots in the veins of the legs, without the need for clot-busting drugs,” explained Walker. “We are able to manually control the basket diameter as we work to remove the clot safely and efficiently.”