Ascension hospitals 1st in State to Use Blood Clot Removal Device

The heart care teams at two local Ascension hospitals are the first in Michigan to treat patients with a unique minimally invasive device to remove potentially deadly blood clots in the legs.

The device, known as the ClotTriever system, is designed to remove blood clots from large veins without the use of blood thinning drugs, which carry significant risk of bleeding in many patients. The device uses a specially designed combination catheter and sheath that attaches to clots and pulls them from the peripheral arteries allowing blood to flow freely. It requires only a tiny incision and most patients can go home the same day.

Dr. Herman Kado, cardiologist at Ascension Macomb-Oakland Hospital, and Dr. Antonious Attallah, cardiologist at Ascension St. John Hospital in Detroit, performed the procedures.

“This device is an exciting advancement in the treatment of peripheral artery disease. It allows us to enhance the care we provide to our patients,” said Kado.

“The ClotTriever is a breakthrough in the treatment of peripheral artery disease,” according to Dr. Attalah. “We are able to improve the quality of life for patients and do so with less risk.”

Peripheral arteries and veins carry blood to and from the arm and leg muscles and the organs in and below the stomach. Blood clots in those arteries can be life threatening if the clot breaks loose from the vein and travels to the lungs, where it can completely block blood flow.

The ClotTriever device received approval from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in February.

In Michigan, Ascension operates 15 hospitals and hundreds of related healthcare facilities that together employ approximately 26,000 associates. Across the state, Ascension provided almost $230 million in community benefit and care of persons living in poverty in FY2017. Serving Michigan for over 140 years, Ascension (www.ascension.org) is a faith-based healthcare organization dedicated to transformation through innovation across the continuum of care. As the largest non-profit health system in the U.S. and the world’s largest Catholic health system, Ascension is committed to delivering compassionate, personalized care to all, with special attention to persons living in poverty and those most vulnerable. In FY2017, Ascension provided more than $1.8 billion in care of persons living in poverty and other community benefit programs. Ascension includes approximately 165,000 associates and 34,000 aligned providers. Ascension’s Healthcare Division operates more than 2,600 sites of care – including 153 hospitals and more than 50 senior living facilities – in 22 states and the District of Columbia, while its Solutions Division provides a variety of services and solutions including physician practice management, venture capital investing, investment management, biomedical engineering, facilities management, clinical care management, information services, risk management, and contracting through Ascension’s own group purchasing organization.