Concentric Medical's modified neurovascular retriever:
This article was originally published in Clinica
Executive Summary
The Merci L6 Retriever, a device intended to restore blood flow in the neurovasculature by removing thrombi in patients experiencing ischaemic stroke, has received 510(k) clearance in the US. The product, developed by Concentric Medical, of Mountain View, California, is indicated for use in patients who are ineligible for, or unresponsive to, treatment with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator - clot-dissolving therapy. It may also be used in the retrieval of foreign bodies misplaced during interventional radiological procedures in the neurovasculature or the peripheral or coronary vasculature. The Merci L6 Retriever is a shaped Nitinol wire which can be delivered using standard catheterisation techniques, whereby a small puncture in the groin is used to introduce the retriever into an artery leading to the brain. Upon reaching the targeted area, the Merci retriever is deployed and returns to its original shape. The device incorporates a 2.7mm cylindrical helix with attached filaments; these provide an additional mechanism for securing the clot during retrieval.