Tenzing 7 delivery catheter with or without a leading microwire for single pass aspiration thrombectomy: A multicenter experience

IntroductionAspiration mechanical thrombectomy traditionally includes use of an inner microcatheter and leading microwire to navigate an aspiration catheter (AC) to the site of occlusion. Early clinical experience suggests that a leading microwire is often not needed with the Tenzing 7 (T7, Route 92 Medical, San Mateo, CA), a soft tapered tip ledge-reducing delivery catheter. This multicenter experience aims to describe AC delivery success in single-pass thrombectomy using T7 with and without a leading microwire.MethodsA retrospective review was conducted of consecutive patients who underwent single-pass thrombectomy with T7 at six institutions between 2020 and 2022. We examined the percentage of successful AC delivery, puncture-to-revascularization time, and procedural complication rate.ResultsA leading microwire with T7 was used in 19/89 (21%) of patients, and it was not used with T7 in 70/89 (79%) of patients. Successful AC delivery was similar with and without microwires (97% vs. 90%, p = 0.15). Median puncture-to-revascularization times were similar (17 min microwire vs. 16 min no-microwire, p = 0.12). No complications were associated with microwire use; one (1.4%) patient had a T7-related vasospasm resolved with verapamil during thrombectomy without a leading microwire. Differences in complication rates were not statistically significant (p = 0.46).ConclusionIn our real-world clinical experience, leading microwire use was infrequently necessary with the T7 delivery catheter. Successful AC delivery and complication rates were similar with and without microwire use in single-pass T7 thrombectomies. Initial pass with T7 may be performed without use of leading microwire, reserving microwire use for refractory cases or known difficult-to-navigate vasculature.