Medtronic touts Solitaire stent retriever meta-analysis

The Solitare stent retriever Medtronic (NYSE:MDT) acquired for $50 billion last year when it bought Covidien is safe and highly effective when combined with standard care using the thrombolysis drug alteplase, according to a meta-analysis of 4 previous trials of the device. The transcatheter Solitaire device uses a stent-like device to trap and retrieve a blood clot in the brain in cases of ischemic stroke. Researchers from the 4 trials – Swift Prime, Revascat, Extend-IA and Escape – pooled their data to examine the results from 787 patients, randomized to either thrombectomy with the Solitaire device (401) or standard care using just the drug (386). About 82% of the total patient population received intravenous thrombolysis, according to the study, which was published today in the journal Stroke and presented at the International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles. The primary outcome for the Seer study was scores on the Modified Rankin Scale, a commonly used outcome measure in stroke trials that ranks symptoms using a scores ranging from 0 (no symptoms) to 5 (severe disability; bedridden, incontinent and requiring constant nursing care and attention) and 6 (dead). The Seer study excluded patients in whom Solitaire was not the 1st device used; secondary outcomes included functional independence (Rankin score of 0 to 2); symptomatic intra-cerebral hemorrhage and mortality. After 90 days, the researchers found, patients treated with the Solitaire device showed a ...
Source: Mass Device - Category: Medical Equipment Authors: Tags: Clinical Trials Neurological Vascular Medtronic Stroke Source Type: news