Clot Retrieval

A new clot-retrieval device -- offered for the first time in California at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center -- now allows patients a better chance of recovery after an acute stroke.

When a blood clot blocks a vessel that provides the brain with vital oxygen and glucose, brain cells will soon begin to die if the blood flow can't be restored quickly.

Retrieving Clots Quickly to Help Prevent Damage to the Brain

The catheter-delivered Penumbra System has been available at Cedars-Sinai since mid-January. The device was approved by the FDA in late December 2007. Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is the first medical center in California to use the device.

According to Michael J. Alexander, MD, Director of the Neurovascular Center and Director of Endovascular Neurosurgery, initial data from the use of the Penumbra device shows hat it may be effective in getting clots from blocked arteries in the brain in about 80% of patients when used within eight hours of the first symptoms. Dr. Alexander sat on the data safety and monitoring board for the Penumbra device safety study.

How the Penumbra Clot Retrieval System Works

The Penumbra System allows a soft clot to be drawn out of the artery that it is blocking. It can be used by itself or with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). tPA has been used to dissolve clots. To be effective, however, tPA must be given within three hours of the appearance of the first symptom. Few patients receive treatment in that timeframe.

Using devices like the Penumbra system can increase the window of opportunity for effective treatment. Unlike tPA, which may take several hours to work, the Penumbra system provides immediate results. Clot retrieval may be the only option for patients who are not able to take blood thinners.