Imperative Care’s Zoom Stroke Solution Evaluated in Real-World Studies

July 26, 2022—Imperative Care, Inc. announced that new data from studies evaluating the utility of the company’s Zoom stroke solution in mechanical thrombectomy were presented at the 19th annual meeting of the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) held July 25-29 in Toronto, Canada.

First, results from an independent single-center experience evaluating the association between guide catheter position and final reperfusion in patients who received aspiration thrombectomy for ischemic stroke were presented by James Milburn, MD, from Ochsner Health in New Orleans, Louisiana.

According to the company, findings from the study demonstrated that intracranial guide catheter placement in the petrous internal carotid artery (ICA) segment or further distal versus placement in the cervical ICA segment or more proximal was associated with a better rate of thrombolysis in cerebral infarction (TICI) ≥ 2C reperfusion (82.7% vs 60%, P = .019, respectively), and a better first-pass effect (51.9% vs 27.5%; P = .021).

Additionally, access time to final recanalization was significantly shorter in patients with intracranial guide catheter placement compared to patients with proximal guide catheter placement (23.8 min vs 33.9 min; P = .011).

“The introduction of large-bore guide catheters that can track further in the brain has been a game-changer for the treatment of ischemic stroke,” commented Dr. Milburn in the company’s press release. “These results further support that intracranial access is directly associated with improved reperfusion, or as evidenced by this study, final TICI 2C or better reperfusion rate.”

Dr. Milburn continued, “The Zoom 88 large distal platform has become my default guide catheter for stroke. Going further up into brain and closer to the clot with Zoom 88 results in enhanced navigation support and improves first pass effect by losing clot less frequently and achieving quicker access in patients suffering emergent large vessel occlusions.”

Next, results from a study evaluating the effect of intracranial flow parameters using various guide catheters for aspiration thrombectomy were presented by Holly Berns, PhD candidate, from Northern Arizona University in Flagstaff, Arizona.

As summarized in Imperative Care’s press release, the study showed a 67% flow reduction in the middle cerebral artery (MCA) when a Zoom 88 access catheter was positioned distal to the posterior communicating artery and proximal to the carotid terminus. This flow reduction was significantly greater when compared to the 54% reduction achieved with an inflated balloon guide catheter positioned in the proximal ICA.

In comparison, the study found that placing a long sheath in the proximal ICA resulted in approximately 30% flow reduction in the MCA, or less than half the flow reduction achieved with Zoom 88 at the carotid terminus.

The study’s senior author Timothy A. Becker, PhD, of Northern Arizona University, commented in the company’s press release, “Significantly reduced flow locally at the thrombus location can meaningfully reduce potential downstream migration during mechanical thrombectomy. The findings from this study demonstrate that distal placement of a Zoom 88 can translate to better flow reduction than a balloon guide catheter without substantial reduction to collateral or ipsilateral flow and the additional time required to set up the balloon placed proximally.”

The third presentation at SNIS was from Dr. Milburn with an additional single center report on the Zoom stroke solution that evaluated an aspiration-first approach using Zoom catheters in patients with ICA, M1, and M2 occlusions. The study found that the use of angled-tip aspiration catheters for thrombectomy was associated with quicker time to final reperfusion, lower use of stent retrievers, and lower use of additional aspiration catheters, which suggests a reduction in procedure cost.

Finally, data from a multicenter retrospective review of 58 consecutive patients who underwent venous sinus stenting for idiopathic intracranial hypertension were presented by Shahid Nimjee, MD, of The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center in Columbus, Ohio.

In this report, Imperative Care’s TracStar LDP large distal platform technology was used to provide access to intracranial vasculature and was advanced to the location of the stent placement in 97.9% of cases.

The company advised that the results from the study indicated that TracStar LDP is a safe and effective access platform for patients with idiopathic intracranial hypertension who are candidates for stent placement. The study investigators suggested that the high rate of technical success in accessing the pathology may be attributed to the design elements of the TracStar LDP, which combines the flexibility of a distal access catheter with the support of a long sheath in a single large 0.088-inch intracranial access catheter.

Imperative Care’s Zoom stroke solution is a complete system for treating stroke from access through reperfusion for fast and effective clot removal for patients with acute ischemic stroke.

The system includes the Zoom 88 large distal platform for neurovascular access, four vessel-matched Zoom aspiration catheters, the Zoom pump, the Zoom Pod, and other accessories. All Zoom catheters are designed with the company’s TRX tip and are designed to enable smooth tracking through challenging vasculature, stated Imperative Care.