Penumbra Launches Lightning Bolt 7 Computer-Aided Arterial Thrombectomy System

June 1, 2023—Penumbra, Inc. announced the launch of the Lightning Bolt 7 arterial thrombectomy system. The device received FDA clearance in March 2023.

According to the company, Lightning Bolt 7 uses modulated aspiration, which pairs Penumbra’s Lightning Intelligent Aspiration technology with a microprocessor algorithm. The system is designed to enhance the ability to rapidly remove large, fibrous blood clots in the arteries with minimal blood loss, addressing conditions such as acute limb ischemia (ALI), hibernating thrombus, and visceral occlusions.

The new device is part of Penumbra’s Indigo system with Lightning portfolio of computer-aided mechanical thrombectomy systems. Before the availability of Lightning Bolt 7, data with the Indigo system have shown excellent 30-day limb-salvage rates in more than 98% of patients, short procedure times with an average of 22 minutes, and low 30-day mortality at 3%, noted the company.

“The unique mechanism of Lightning Bolt 7 provides modulated aspiration at the tip of the catheter, enabling the quick removal of these rigid and stiff blood clots, which oftentimes require open surgery and frequently result in amputation,” commented Kalyan Veerina, MD, in Penumbra’s press release. “Advancements like Lightning Bolt 7 provide a critical frontline option for physicians to treat patients and improve patient outcomes.” Dr. Veerina is an interventional cardiologist at Cardiovascular Institute of the South in Opelousas, Louisiana.

The company advised that Lightning Bolt 7 is powered by the Penumbra Engine and is engineered to detect the difference between blood clot and blood flow. Additionally, it is designed to identify friction within the catheter and orchestrate the rapid opening and closing of the valves to disrupt any resistance between the clot and the catheter tip, which facilitates maximum vacuum force at the catheter tip for optimal, rapid ingestion of blood clots.

Lightning Bolt 7 is compatible with Penumbra’s arterial catheters, which are made with MaxID hypotube technology, allowing a larger inner diameter while maintaining a lower profile and a soft, atraumatic tip design to maximize the circumferential sweep in the artery, noted the company.

Sahil A. Parikh, MD, Director of Endovascular Services at Columbia University Irving Medical Center in New York, New York, stated in Penumbra’s press release, “This era of computer-aided technology offers the promise of unheralded procedural efficiency that was not previously available to endovascular specialists. Our ability to rapidly revascularize vessels with minimal blood loss is exceptional with these intelligent devices.”

Raghu Motaganahalli, MD, added, “Technologically, Lightning Bolt 7 is a big leap forward. The computer-aided components offer a safety profile that, when combined with the clot removal speed and efficiency, will promote an endovascular-first approach for a broader range of cases before considering open surgery.” Dr. Motaganahalli is a vascular surgeon with Indiana University Health Physicians in Indianapolis, Indiana.