The first US patients have been treated with the FDA-cleared TIGERTRIEVER revascularisation device (Rapid Medical). TIGERTRIEVER is the first physician-adjustable stent retriever, according to Rapid Medical, enabling neurointerventionists to better remove blood clots and restore blood flow to the brain following an ischaemic event.
The patients in question were treated by Rishi Gupta, director of neurocritical care at Wellstar Health System (Marietta, USA).
“With TIGERTRIEVER, I can adjust the sizing of the device to more safely engage and retrieve the blood clot,” said Gupta. “Additionally, the TIGERTRIEVER 17 device has the smallest diameter of any clot retriever, allowing me to treat occlusions further in the brain. This new class of mechanical thrombectomy devices shows significant clinical potential for the treatment of stroke.”
In a press release, Rapid Medical claimed that TIGERTRIEVER provides physicians with greater intraoperative control, as they can adjust the device according to procedural intelligence, individualising the approach for each patient. The recently published TIGER trial, completed for US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clearance, demonstrated the benefits of this technique.
The trial documented TIGERTRIEVER’s superiority over conventional stent retrievers, achieving a statistically significant improvement in the ability to restore blood flow to the brain and “excellent comparable safety metrics”. Even in the smaller, more difficult-to-treat brain vessels, TIGERTRIEVER 17 achieved 92% revascularisation success, according to Rapid Medical.
“Unlike devices currently available to treat ischaemic stroke, the TIGERTRIEVER’s unique design allows the physician enhanced control in sizing the stent to the specific patient’s blood vessel, increasing the likelihood of full restoration of blood flow,” said James Romero, president for the Americas at Rapid Medical. “Today marks a significant milestone in the advancement of stroke treatment. We are excited to bring innovative solutions to the market to help improve patient outcomes.”
TIGERTRIEVER is currently available in the USA in two sizes—21 and 17—and is applicable for a wide range of large vessel occlusions (LVOs).
