SSM Health SLU Hospital offers new option to remove clots from pulmonary artery

ST. LOUIS, MO – Specialists at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital have a new, non-surgical tool for treating pulmonary embolism. Called FlowTriever, the technology is used to physically remove clots inside the pulmonary artery that historically have only been treated through thrombolytic drugs.
 
The new option is available for the thousands in the United States whose clots travel to the lungs and cause pulmonary embolism, a common condition needing prompt treatment that can at times be fatal.
 
SLUCare vascular and interventional radiologists Kirubahara Vaheesan, MD, and Adam Fang, MD, used the technology for the first time at SLU Hospital November 2, 2018.
 
“This is a major step forward in treatment,” says Dr. Vaheesan, MD.
 
Using FlowTreiver, specialists can thread a guidewire through an incision in the leg to physically separate the clot from the vessel wall and remove it from the body.
 
Dr. Vaheesan compares the technology to one becoming more common in stroke treatment. By performing stent thrombectomy using a retrievable stent, interventional neurologists have not only demonstrated a significant clinical benefit versus simply using the clot busting drug tPA, the technology has been transformative in the treatment of stroke.
 
For clots inside the pulmonary artery, thrombolytic drugs are typically the first line of treatment. While it is effective in aspirating the clots, many patients are not appropriate for thrombolytic therapy due to bleeding risks. For those patients, the only option is breaking the clot emergently.
 
“There are devices to break the clots into fragments, but these fragments still can go down and block the lungs,” says Dr. Vaheesan. “Until now, there was no reliable equipment to remove these large clots efficiently.
 
“This technology will definitely give more chances for surviving an often fatal disease.”
 
FlowTriever was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the treatment of pulmonary embolism in May. It is the first thrombectomy device cleared by the FDA for that indication.