Neurovascular retriever
From WikiCover
On August 29, 2007, Concentric Medical announced that it has obtained regulatory clearance for its Merci L6 Retriever in the United States. This new Retriever joins the four other Merci Retrievers on the market, and provides customers with another choice in their efforts to restore blood flow to ischemic stroke patients.
The Merci L6 Retriever joins the L family of retrievers, incorporating a 2.7 mm cylindrical helix with attached filaments. The filaments provide an additional mechanism for securing the clot during retrieval. This new design is targeted at larger vessels than the existing Merci Retrievers on the market, and is available for shipment to qualified accounts immediately.
The Merci Retriever is a shaped wire constructed of nitinol, a memory wire, which allows delivery of the Retriever in linear form using standard catheterization techniques. A small puncture in the groin is used to introduce the Merci Retriever into an artery leading to the brain. Upon reaching the targeted area, the Retriever returns to its original shape when deployed. The Merci Retriever is designed to restore blood flow by engaging, capturing and removing blood clots. The Merci Retrieval Systems offer additional options for ischemic stroke patients, especially those who have failed intravenous clot dissolving drug therapy or who could not be treated within the three hour limit established for intravenous drug administration.