Percutaneous Large-Bore Pulmonary Thrombectomy with the FlowTriever Device: Initial Experience in Intermediate-High and High-Risk Patients

Objectives This retrospective cohort study investigates outcomes of patients with intermediate-high and high-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) who were treated with transfemoral mechanical thrombectomy (MT) using the large-bore Inari FlowTriever aspiration catheter system. Material and Methods Twenty-seven patients (mean age 56.1 ± 15.3 years) treated with MT for PE between 04/2021 and 11/2021 were reviewed. Risk stratification was performed according to European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines. Clinical and hemodynamic characteristics before and after the procedure were compared with the paired Student’s t test, and duration of hospital stay was analyzed with the Kaplan–Meier estimator. Procedure-related adverse advents were assessed. Results Of 27 patients treated, 18 were classified as high risk. Mean right-to-left ventricular ratio on baseline CT was 1.7 ± 0.6. After MT, a statistically significant reduction in mean pulmonary artery pressures from 35.9 ± 9.6 to 26.1 ± 9.0 mmHg ( p = 0.002) and heart rates from 109.4 ± 22.5 to 82.8 ± 13.8 beats per minute ( p