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

To report clinical and procedural outcomes of acute ischemic stroke patients after endovascular treatment with the new thromboaspiration catheter AXS Catalyst 6.

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.

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%.

Endovascular treatment with AXS Catalyst 6 proved to be safe, technically feasible, and effective. Comparison analyses with other devices for mechanical thrombectomy are needed.