I-Corps: Translation potential of a medical device for intracoronary thrombectomy

This I-Corps project is based on the development of a medical device designed to improve the removal of blood clots during treatment of acute heart attacks. Current medical procedures often fail to remove a blood clot completely and can allow clot fragments to travel downstream, reducing blood flow to heart muscle and increasing the risk of additional heart injury and other serious complications such as stroke. In addition, because current procedures frequently leave residual clots, it often means costly, high-risk secondary procedures. This technology may be used to isolate and remove blood clots within a controlled tube-based environment, improving clot extraction while reducing unintended blocks of blood flow while lowering the likelihood of these secondary interventions. This technology has the potential to improve blood clot removal, reduce complications, shorten hospital stays, lower healthcare costs and improve patient outcomes. This I-Corps project utilizes experiential learning coupled with first-hand investigation of the industry ecosystem to assess the translation potential of a catheter-based intracoronary thrombectomy medical device. This technology combines vessel occlusion with controlled retrograde flushing and aspiration to isolate and remove thrombus during coronary intervention. The design employs an occlusive-flushing balloon integrated with an aspiration catheter to create a controlled environment that minimizes clot fragmentation while enhancing thrombus extraction. The device establishes a sealed microenvironment that completely isolates the thrombus using a dynamic flow-control mechanism. Laboratory studies using a prototype in simulated vascular models have demonstrated substantially improved clot removal compared with conventional aspiration techniques. This technology may provide a differentiated thrombectomy device with the potential to improve thrombectomy procedural performance while improving patient outcomes. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.