Mechanical clot dissolution: new concept.

The authors present preliminary data on in vitro mechanical clot dissolution by means of a catheter with a tiny high-speed propeller enclosed in a special housing. Preweighed human blood clots were subjected to the catheter in a test tube with saline at various propeller speeds and durations of application. After filtration of the resultant slurry, the clot residue was weighed and examined histologically. Clot dissolution was found to be related to both the duration and speed of propeller rotation. No fibrin residue was seen after dissolution, although potential embolic material, composed of clumps of cellular debris as large as 208 microns in longest dimension, was found. Mechanical clot dissolution could possibly be used in any natural or synthetic blood vessel in which there is acute or subacute thrombosis, with fewer complications and lower cost than obtained with traditional methods.