Background:
EXCELLENT (NCT03685578) is a large, prospective, single-arm, multicenter, international registry of mechanical thrombectomy (MT) with EmboTrap as the first attempted device in routine clinical practice. The study collects per pass data on procedural and technical details that are based on interventionalists’ preference, providing an opportunity to assess current practices in MT across multiple international high-volume stroke centers.
Methods:
Subjects treated according to standard of care were eligible for inclusion in the study if EmboTrap was used in the first MT pass. Interim analysis focusing on procedural details and per pass clot retrieval technique was performed based on 689 subjects enrolled by 79 physicians across 26 international sites (US, Belgium, Germany, France) between Sept 2018 and Jul 2020.
Results:
Mean #passes was 2.1 (median=1, max=10), 50.3% subjects had only 1 pass and 84.8% had 3 or fewer. Per pass use of stent retriever, aspiration, balloon guide, intermediate catheter and long sheath catheter, along with technique details (e.g. incubation time, device positioning, co-aspiration) are summarized in Table 1. Rates and reasons for device changes are also given.
Conclusion:
Interim analysis of the ongoing EXCELLENT registry informs on current practice patterns in MT. This is the first report of detailed per pass clot retrieval strategies in a large international multicenter cohort.
