We use cookies to understand how you use our site and to improve your experience. This includes personalizing content and advertising. To learn more, click here. By continuing to use our site, you accept our use of cookies. Cookie Policy.

Features Partner Sites Information LinkXpress hp
Sign In
Advertise with Us
GLOBETECH PUBLISHING LLC

Download Mobile App




Ultrasound Technology Helps Dissolve Blood Clots

By MedImaging International staff writers
Posted on 19 Jun 2014
Print article
Image: The EkoSonic IDDC and removable coaxial ultrasound transducer core (Photo courtesy of EKOS Corporation).
Image: The EkoSonic IDDC and removable coaxial ultrasound transducer core (Photo courtesy of EKOS Corporation).
A new system allows controlled and selective infusion of physician-specified fluids, including thrombolytics, for the treatment of pulmonary embolism (PE).

The EkoSonic Endovascular System is an ultrasound-facilitated catheter-directed low-dose fibrinolysis device designed to gently accelerate the penetration of thrombolytic agents into a thrombus, providing high levels of lysis to minimize the risk of PE and intracranial hemorrhage. The system is intended for the treatment of patients with a 50% or more clot burden in one or both main pulmonary arteries or lobar pulmonary arteries, as well as evidence of right heart dysfunction, based on a mean pulmonary artery pressure of 25 mmHg or higher, and/or echocardiographic evaluation.

The device consists of a multilumen intelligent drug delivery catheter (IDDC) with a removable coaxial ultrasound transducer core and a microsonic device (MSD). The acoustic energy conditions the clot by thinning fibrin and increasing porosity, creating a pressure gradient which transports the thrombolytic agent deep into the thrombus. As a result, there is no thrombus fracture or breakage, no damage to valves or the vascular wall, and no hemolysis.

An added benefit is that since red blood cells (RBCs) are not fractured during the procedure, there is no adenosine release and no additional compromise to renal function. The EkoSonic Endovascular System is a product of EKOS Corporation (Bothell, WA, USA), and has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“The EKOS clinical data established that patients stricken with a life-threatening pulmonary embolism can be successfully and safely treated with the EkoSonic system,” said Prof. Samuel Goldhaber, MD, director of the Thrombosis Research Group at Brigham and Woman’s Hospital (Boston, MA, USA). “This is the first FDA cleared treatment option for PE since the approval of the drug tissue plasminogen activator [tPA], in 1990.”

“Interventional radiologists, cardiologists, cardiothoracic and vascular surgeons at leading institutions around the world use our system to provide faster, safer and more complete dissolution of thrombus,” said Matt Stupfel, General Manager of EKOS. “We are proud to have completed the world’s only randomized controlled trial and the largest prospective single-arm trial on the safety and effectiveness of EKOS therapy in the treatment of PE. The positive outcomes of those trials, combined with our expanded indication will allow a better standard of care for thousands of patients who suffer from PE.”

Related Links:

EKOS Corporation


New
Gold Member
X-Ray QA Meter
T3 AD Pro
New
Ultrasound Imaging System
P12 Elite
Portable X-ray Unit
AJEX130HN
New
Ultrasound Scanner
TBP-5533

Print article
Radcal

Channels

Radiography

view channel
Image: The CT scanner prototype eliminates the need for physical compression of the breast (Photo courtesy of Quion Lowe and Lisa Dahm/U of A Cancer Center)

Novel Breast Cancer Screening Technology Could Offer Superior Alternative to Mammogram

Breast cancer represents 15.5% of new cancer cases and 7% of cancer-related deaths in the United States. Approximately 13.1% of women will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime.... Read more

Ultrasound

view channel
Image: Wearable ultrasound device offers continuous, long-term monitoring of muscle activity (Photo courtesy of Muyang Lin/UC San Diego)

Wearable Ultrasound Device Provides Long-Term, Wireless Muscle Monitoring

Electromyography (EMG) is the current clinical standard for monitoring muscle activity, utilizing metal electrodes placed on the skin to capture electrical signals from muscles. Despite its long-standing... Read more

Nuclear Medicine

view channel
Image: PET scans of a glioblastoma patient\'s brain, 72 hours after injection with the radiotracer (Photo courtesy of Dr Gabriela Kramer-Marek, The Institute of Cancer Research, London)

New Immuno-PET Imaging Technique Identifies Glioblastoma Patients Who Would Benefit from Immunotherapy

Glioblastoma is a type of brain tumor associated with a very poor prognosis, with average survival rates of 12 to 18 months and only 5% of patients surviving beyond five years. Research has shown that... Read more

General/Advanced Imaging

view channel
Image: Heavy smokers can ben Image (2):	efit from lung cancer screening using low-dose CT (Photo courtesy of 123RF)

Low-Dose CT Screening for Lung Cancer Can Benefit Heavy Smokers

Lung cancer is often diagnosed at a late stage, with only about one-fifth to one-sixth of patients surviving five years after diagnosis. A new report now suggests that low-dose computed tomography (CT)... Read more

Imaging IT

view channel
Image: The new Medical Imaging Suite makes healthcare imaging data more accessible, interoperable and useful (Photo courtesy of Google Cloud)

New Google Cloud Medical Imaging Suite Makes Imaging Healthcare Data More Accessible

Medical imaging is a critical tool used to diagnose patients, and there are billions of medical images scanned globally each year. Imaging data accounts for about 90% of all healthcare data1 and, until... Read more

Industry News

view channel
Image: The advocacy partnership aims to help accelerate access to life-saving treatments (Photo courtesy of Philips)

Philips and Medtronic Partner on Stroke Care

A stroke is typically an acute incident primarily caused by a blockage in a brain blood vessel, which disrupts the adequate blood supply to brain tissue and results in the permanent loss of brain cells.... Read more
Copyright © 2000-2024 Globetech Media. All rights reserved.