PERFORMANCE OF INDIRECT EMBOLECTOMY AIDED BY A NEW DEVELOPED FLUSH-SUCTION CATHETER SYSTEM - 47 EXPERIMENTAL EMBOLECTOMY PROCEDURES IN TESTANIMALS

Embolectomy by means of the Fogarty catheter is the therapy of choice in the event of acute occlusions of limb arteries. However, less invas ive catheter procedures have become established means to perform embol ectomies lately. In order to improve the results after using the above mentioned methods, we have developed a new embolectomy procedure. The system applied consists of a flush-suction catheter as well as a high pressure pump. There is a jet-suction unit on the head of the tubular two-lumen catheter to gather thromboembolic material from the circumf erence of the head, to erode the collected material and evacuate it. T he flushing pressure is generated by the pump. For the experimental te sting of the system, the flush-suction embolectomy has been performed in 19 pigs after 47 artificial produced extremities embolism. Angiogra phically and angioscopically it could be proved that even older thromb otic material could be removed completely and without significant trau ma of the vessel. At the pathologic investigation of the vessel in whi ch embolectomy had been performed in no case an essential vessel-wall damage could be found. In almost each case the embolic material was re moved completely. Only in 5 cases (10.6%) we have distal microembolism . Due to the experimental tests, the system turns out to be reliable a s far as the technique is concerned. In addition, in the event of clin ical application, the system allows the expectation of a reduction of the time interval between diagnosis and therapy, as well as a percutan eous application.