Researchers from the Lewis Katz School of Medicine at Temple University presented a device known as the BASHIRTM Endovascular Catheter (THROMBOLEX, Inc.) in a Late-Breaking Innovation session at the 2022 Transcatheter Cardiovascular Therapeutics (TCT) conference in Boston.
According to the press release, the said device significantly reduces blood clots obstructing the pulmonary arteries, resulting in improved heart function in patients with pulmonary embolism.
What Is Pulmonary Embolism?
Pulmonary embolism happens when one of the pulmonary arteries in the lungs is obstructed by blood clots that travel from the deep veins in the legs or other body parts to the lungs, per Mayo Clinic. It can be life-threatening because the clots block blood flow.
Symptoms of pulmonary embolism could vary depending on how much the lungs are obstructed, the size of blood clots, and medical history. The common signs of symptoms include shortness of breath, chest pain, and coughing. Other symptoms may also occur, such as rapid or irregular heartbeat, lightheadedness, excessive sweating, fever, leg pain or swelling, and clammy or discolored skin.
Anyone can develop blood clots and pulmonary embolism, but certain factors increase the risk. Medical conditions like heart disease, cancer, surgery, inherited disorders that affect the blood, and COVID-19 are one of the risk factors. Also, prolonged immobility due to bed rest and long trips are included, as well as smoking, being overweight, intake of supplemental estrogen, and pregnancy.
Experts from the University of California San Francisco's Vascular and Endovascular Surgery, treatment for pulmonary embolism is focused on stopping the blood clot from getting bigger, preventing the blood clot from breaking off and moving to the lungs, and reducing blood clots.
Dr. Leandro Santos performs a central venous catheter procedure on a COVID-19 patient in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of a former men’s hospital, which has been converted into a field hospital for COVID-19 patients, on May 20, 2021 in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
READ ALSO: Long COVID Symptoms Now Includes Blood Clots Along With Taste or Smell Loss and Brain Fog
Potential New Treatment for Pulmonary Embolism
The novel catheter is described in detail in a report titled "Prospective Multicenter Trial of Pharmacomechanical-Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis with the Bashir Endovascular Catheter for Acute Pulmonary Embolism," published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: Cardiovascular Interventions.
It is made of an expandable basket with a mini-infusion of catheters placed inside a clot. It expands to create new channels and increase the surface area to accelerate clot breakdown and restore normal blood flow through the vessel, Medical Xpress reported.
Researchers noted that the key clinical feature of the catheter is its short treatment duration. Infusion of the catheter only lasts five hours instead of 10 hours when clot-dissolving drugs are used. Once the catheter is removed, a significant decrease in strain on the heart is observed, bringing relief to patients.
The evidence of the safety and effectiveness of the catheter comes from the data collected in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) sponsored RESCUE trial. Researchers report that the magnitude of reduction in the size of pulmonary artery obstruction in the RESCUE trial was significantly greater than other therapies currently used in treating pulmonary embolism.
Dr. Daniel Edmundowicz, a professor of medicine and the chief of cardiology at the Lewis Katz School of Medicine and Medical Director of the Temple Heart and Vascular Institute, said that the trial marks a significant therapeutic milestone for patients with pulmonary embolism.
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