Rapid Medical’s Tigertriever to Be Studied for Cognitive Benefits in Treatment of Ischemic Stroke

January 29, 2025—Rapid Medical announced that the first patient has been enrolled in the company’s COGNITIVE study, which is evaluating a link between mechanical thrombectomy and cognitive improvement.

According to the company, mechanical thrombectomy with its Tigertriever stent retriever may uniquely preserve cognitive function with a tailored approach to removing thrombus while limiting impact to the natural vessel. The first patient in the study was treated by Fawaz Al-Mufti, MD, of Westchester Medical Center in Westchester, New York.

Dr. Al-Mufti, who is National Principal Investigator of the COGNITIVE, commented on the trial in the company’s press release.

“This is a significant milestone for the neurointerventional field,” stated Dr. Al-Mufti. “Up to 70% of stroke patients will experience cognitive impairment. While we know thrombectomy improves functional outcomes such as limb movement, we have yet to determine the impact on patients’ cognition. Because of Tigertriever, this study could reexamine how we treat patients.”

Additional National Principal Investigators include Satoshi Tateshima, MD, from Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Los Angeles, California. The late Justin Singer, MD, of Corewell Health in Grand Rapids, Michigan, who died in October 2024, was instrumental in the study design, noted the company.

According to Rapid Medical, Tigertriever is designed to enable physicians to adjust intra-arterially for vessel protection and tailored patient procedures. The device has shown faster procedure times, high first-pass revascularization, and good clinical outcomes in a multicenter trial comparing seven pivotal stent retriever trials, noted the company.

Walid Haddad, PhD, Chief Clinical Officer at Rapid Medical, stated in the press release, “Rapid Medical plans to enroll up to 450 patients at 50 sites. Patients between the ages 18-75 who present with a large vessel occlusion and are treated with Tigertriever for thrombus removal may be included. We’re proud to be at the forefront of this research and are honored to partner with clinical leaders like Dr. Al Mufti, who share the same commitment to advancing this space.”