Mechanical thrombectomy of acute ischemic stroke with a new intermediate aspiration catheter: preliminary results.

Background and Purpose: To report clinical and procedural outcomes of acute ischemic stroke patients after endovascular treatment with the new thromboaspiration catheter AXS Catalyst 6.
Methods: Patients with anterior and posterior circulation stroke were selected. Successful reperfusion defined as a Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction (TICI) score ≥2 b and 3-month functional independence defined as a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≤2 were the main efficacy outcomes. Symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality were the main safety outcomes.
Results: 107 patients were suitable for analysis. Mean age was 73.18±12.62 year and median baseline NIHSS was 17 (range: 3-32). The most frequent site of occlusion was the middle cerebral artery (MCA) (60.7%). 76.6% of patients were treated with AXS Catalyst 6 alone without the need for rescue devices or thromboaspiration catheters. Successful reperfusion was achieved in 84.1%, functional independence in 47.6%, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage occurred in 3.7%, and mortality in 21.4%.
Conclusions: Endovascular treatment with AXS Catalyst 6 proved to be safe, technically feasible, and effective. Comparison analyses with other devices for mechanical thrombectomy are needed.
Competing Interests: Competing interests: None declared.
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