What is Ekos therapy for thrombus?
EKOS therapy is a minimally invasive system for dissolving thrombus. The ultrasonic core generates an acoustic field which greatly accelerates lytic dispersion by driving the drug deeper into the clot and unwinding the fibrin to expose plasminogen receptor sites.
What are the results of single-center chronic DVT treatment?
Single-center chronic DVT treatment results suggest high patency rates after intervention and symptomatic improvement. 4678910111213Several of these studies are performed predominately in women. 79 Clinical Evaluation Women with suspected DVT are evaluated as outpatients in the interventional radiology clinic.
What is the treatment for chronic deep vein thrombosis (DVT)?
Dumantepe M, Tarhan I A, Ozler A. Treatment of chronic deep vein thrombosis using ultrasound accelerated catheter-directed thrombolysis. Eur J Vasc Endovasc Surg. 2013;46(03):366–371. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
What is an EKOS catheter?
The EKOS catheter is comprised of two parts: the Infusion catheter and the ultrasonic core. EKOS was the first interventional device indicated for the treatment of pulmonary embolism.
Who is a candidate for Ekos?
If your vascular doctor at South Palm Cardiovascular Associates detects a blood clot such as Deep Vein Thrombosis (DVT) or Pulmonary Embolus, one may be a candidate for the state of the art catheter-based therapy to treat the problem.
Is Ekos FDA approved?
EKOS said Tuesday that the FDA has cleared its EkoSonic endovascular system for use in treating pulmonary embolism. The device provides ultrasound-assisted, controlled and selective intravenous infusion of physician-specified fluids, including thrombolytics.
How long is Ekos therapy?
The EKOS catheter comes in working lengths of 106 and 135 cm with 0.035″ compatibility, and treatment zones of 6, 12, 18, 24, 30, 40, and 50 cm.
How long does EKOS procedure take?
The procedure takes 10 minutes after which the patient goes to ICU – 12 hours for a single pulmonary embolism and 24 hours for a patient with blood clots in both lungs. The procedure cuts the length of stay in half – two to three days on average.
What are the risks of EKOS?
Available literature suggests that EKOS could be associated with the reduction of right heart strain, reduction of PE recurrence, and improved quality of life. Described complications include bleeding, bruising, hematoma and rarely CNS hemorrhage.
How effective is Ekos?
At UC Medical Center, EKOS has delivered excellent results, even in patients who have experienced high-risk submassive and massive PEs. In the 30 cases in which EKOS was used in 2016, 15 patients had submassive PEs and 15 had massive PEs.
What is the EKOS procedure?
EKOS Acoustic Pulse Thrombolysis is a minimally invasive endovascular procedure used to dissolve clots. Types of blood clots treated with EKOS include: Pulmonary embolism (PE), a blood clot that blocks an artery in a lung, which can be fatal.
What medication is used in Ekos?
The catheter will deliver special clot dissolving medicine called thrombolytics to help dissolve the clot. The device, called EKOS is a cutting-edge technology that uses an ultrasound to deliver very low doses of a clot-dissolving drug directly into the clot through a catheter.
When is Ekos used?
EKOS was the first interventional device indicated for the treatment of pulmonary embolism. EKOS is used for the infusion of physician-specified fluids, including thrombolytics, into the peripheral vasculature. EKOS' ultrasound technology accelerates drug dispersion, requiring less lytic agent.
What does Ekos stand for?
Ekosonic Endovascular System (EKOS), a form of catheter-directed pharmacomechanical thrombolysis, has been used to treat submassive and massive pulmonary emboli.
What medication is used in Ekos?
The catheter will deliver special clot dissolving medicine called thrombolytics to help dissolve the clot. The device, called EKOS is a cutting-edge technology that uses an ultrasound to deliver very low doses of a clot-dissolving drug directly into the clot through a catheter.
What is the coolant for in Ekos?
The EKOS endovascular system consists of a 5.2F, 106-cmlong infusion catheter, an ultrasound core wire, and a control unit. The saline solution is infused via a coolant port to diffuse heat energy generated by the ultrasound transducer.
What is Ekos stand for?
Ekosonic Endovascular System (EKOS), a form of catheter-directed pharmacomechanical thrombolysis, has been used to treat submassive and massive pulmonary emboli.
How do you perform a thrombectomy?
The doctor will make a cut in the area above your blood clot. He or she will open the blood vessel and take out the clot. In some cases, a balloon attached to a thin tube (catheter) will be used in the blood vessel to remove any part of the clot that remains. A stent may be put in the blood vessel to help keep it open.
What is Ekos thrombolysis?
The device, called EKOS is a cutting-edge technology that uses an ultrasound to deliver very low doses ...
What is Ekos ultrasound?
The device, called EKOS is a cutting-edge technology that uses an ultrasound to deliver very low doses of a clot-dissolving drug directly into the clot through a catheter. The result is rapid clearance of the clot while at the same time significantly reducing the risk of bleeding.
What happens when you inject a clot dissolving drug?
As ultrasound waves penetrate the clot, it causes the clot to become very porous so when a clot-dissolving drug is infused, it is rapidly absorbed into the clot. The dissolving process is significantly accelerated, resulting in rapid restoration of blood flow.
Is pulmonary embolism fatal?
Acute pulmonary embolism (PE) is a common and sometimes fatal disease with a highly variable clinical presentation. It is critical that therapy is administered in a timely fashion to prevent recurrent thromboembolism. If your vascular doctor detects a blood clot such as Deep Vein Thrombosis ...
SIGNIFICANT SYMPTOM RELIEF
The endovascular approach used to treat PTS patients in ACCESS PTS, consisting of EKOS® therapy with balloon dilatation and adjunct therapy (if needed), significantly improved the patients’ symptoms.
CONCLUSION
Acoustic Pulse Thrombolysis™ with balloon dilatation should be considered in the appropriate setting for any patient with chronic DVT and PTS who does not have a contraindication to lytic therapy and who has failed conservative treatment. The results of the ACCESS PTS trial offer hope to patients with PTS.
The New Standard of Care for Pulmonary Embolism Treatment
EKOS was the first interventional device for treating PE. Today, it’s trusted by more clinicians than any other PE device.
One 15-minute Procedure Can Deliver Dramatic Results
Proven to yield safe and effective results, EKOS is low risk and reliable. Because of EKOS’ small size, it allows further reach into smaller distal pulmonary vessels.
How EKOS Works
EKOS ultrasound technology unwinds and thins fibrin strands to expose more drug receptor sites; acoustic streaming drives the drug deeper into the clot.
What is the technique used to cross a venous clot?
Technique. Once venous access has been achieved, standard catheter and wire techniques are utilized to cross the chronic, hard, and occlusive clot. It has been this author's experience that if you are able to successfully cross the DVT, then you can usually re-establish flow and restore patency.
What can be used to reduce swelling and pain in ECS?
If limb swelling and discomfort is too great for standard ECS use, then leg wraps, elevation, and even pumps can be used to reduce the swelling and pain and allow for earlier ECS use. The patient is also encouraged to ambulate and exercise early and often.
Is Ekos thrombolysis FDA approved?
Typically, Ekos thrombolysis is continued overnight with adjuvant treatments consisting of additional venoplasty and/or stenting performed as necessary. Although there is no FDA-approved venous stent currently available, several medical device companies have demonstrated interest in designing a venous-indicated stent.
Does enoxaparin affect patency?
The use of enoxaparin has negated the need for weekly blood draws as well as the waxing and waning international normalized ratio levels, which can greatly affect the potential of rethrombosis and patency rates. By improving flow and maintaining patency, the vessel can remodel the diseased venous segment.
Can a chronic clot be cracked?
Cracking the chronic clot may allow for better penetration of the tissue plasminogen activator. If a component of acute clot is identified, one may consider performing pharmacomechanical thrombolysis to debulk that segment.
Can recanalization be performed for PTS?
Recanalization of chronic, occlusive DVT can safely and effectively be performed with subsequent improvement in symptoms and quality of life for patients with PTS. By utilizing techniques and devices readily available to the interventionist, we can significantly change the outcomes for those impaired by this common medical problem. Successful development of a chronic DVT treatment program not only involves the knowledge and expertise in the treatment of venous disease and catheter techniques but also the patience and perseverance needed in these often difficult and lengthy cases, as well as having access to the variety of devices needed to successfully treat patients with chronic venous occlusions.