SurModics has announced the successful early clinical use of its Pounce LP [low profile] Thrombectomy System, a device designed for the removal of thrombi and emboli in peripheral arteries, particularly those below the knee.

Approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the system is currently undergoing a limited market evaluation, with full commercial launch anticipated upon completion.

The Pounce LP Thrombectomy System, the latest addition to the Surmodics Pounce thrombectomy platform, addresses the critical need for non-surgical removal of thrombi and emboli below the knee.

Known for its ‘grab-and-go’ approach, the system eliminates the need for capital equipment or aspiration and reduces the reliance on thrombolytics.

It comprises a delivery catheter, a basket wire, and a funnel catheter. The system entrains the clot using self-expanding nitinol baskets and removes it through a guide sheath.

University of Texas Hospital, Dell Seton Medical Center vascular surgeon Dr Lucas Ferrer Cardona was the first to use the Pounce LP System.

Dr Elizabeth Genovese, a vascular surgeon at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, also used the system to revascularise a patient with arterial occlusions in both the anterior tibial and peroneal arteries.

Surmodics president and CEO Gary Maharaj said: “We’re very pleased with the successful early clinical use of the Pounce LP Thrombectomy System, which will extend the range of treatment for our Pounce platform to include removal of organised thrombotic or embolic clots from the iliac arteries in the pelvis down to tibial vessels below the knee.

“Downstream embolisation of chronic material into below-the-knee arteries during an endovascular procedure can be an interventionist’s nightmare, sometimes requiring surgical rescue. The Pounce LP System’s ability to capture and remove these unexpected emboli adds yet more value to this device for BTK revascularisation.”