Cook Medical's TACO Study Supports Tibiopedal Approach for Access and Crossing Infrainguinal Artery Occlusions

May 18, 2015—Cook Medical announced that findings from the company-sponsored TACO (Tibiopedal Access for Crossing of Infrainguinal Occlusions) study demonstrated 93.5% technical access success and 86% technical crossing success in using a tibiopedal approach for the treatment of infrainguinal artery occlusions.

Yazen Khatib, MD, reported results from the study at the 2nd annual national scientific meeting of the Outpatient Endovascular and Interventional Society (OEIS), which was held on April 10–12 in Chicago, Illinois. The study has been submitted for publication to the Journal of Endovascular Therapy, advised the company.

TACO is a multicenter, prospective, international study evaluating success rates for access and crossing from a tibiopedal approach. The objective of this nonrandomized, postmarket, observational study was to compile clinical data on percutaneous techniques used to obtain tibiopedal access and cross infrainguinal arterial occlusions.

According to Cook Medical, the study enrolled 199 patients at eight sites in the United States and three sites in Europe from May 2012 to July 2013. The study included patients who had a totally occluded infrainguinal artery due to peripheral arterial atherosclerotic disease for which a previous attempt to cross the occlusion using an antegrade approach was unsuccessful. For institutions where tibiopedal access is performed as a primary standard-of-care procedure, a previous unsuccessful antegrade approach attempt was not required for inclusion in the study.