Document resource
Introduction As the global burden of ischemic stroke continues to rise alongside an aging population, the need for innovation in endovascular stroke therapy remains urgent. The ANA5 funnel catheter is a novel device designed to enhance stent retriever-based mechanical thrombectomy by enabling proximal flow arrest and aspiration during clot retrievalAim of Study Building on promising early experience, the ATHENA trial aims to rigorously evaluate the clinical benefit of ANA5 as an adjunct to stent retrievers in large vessel occlusion stroke.Method The ANAIS feasibility study evaluated the safety and preliminary performance of ANA5 in a single-arm design. The ongoing ATHENA trial is a prospective, randomized study conducted across 20 centers in the US and Europe, systematically evaluating the impact of flow arrest on reperfusion effectiveness.Results During ANAIS, forty-three patients underwent thrombectomy within 24 hours of symptom onset (median NIHSS 16). Successful reperfusion (eTICI 2b50–3 within 3 passes) was achieved in 70% of the ITT and 81% of the PP population. In a subset treated with ANA5 deployed in the ICA C2–C3 segment with continuous aspiration, First Pass Effect (FPE eTICI 2c-3) was achieved in 83%, with 100% achieving successful reperfusion within three passes. These findings informed the ATHENA trial, the first stroke study to use FPE as a primary efficacy endpoint.Abstract A303 Figure 1Graphical representation of the ANA5 funnel catheter (black arrow) and the stent retriever with the clot engaged (grey arrow). As the stent retriever is withdrawn, the ANA5 enables flow arrest by passively conforming to the vessel wall while permitting aspiration through its lumenAbstract A303 Figure 2Fluoroscopic image during thrombectomy showing the ANA5 funnel catheter (black arrow) being deployed from within the guide catheter (white arrow). The stent retriever (grey arrow) is already positioned and ready for withdrawalConclusions ANA5 demonstrated encouraging safety and reperfusion results in feasibility studies. Its novel design, offering a new strategy for clot retrieval, is now under formal evaluation in the randomized ATHENA trial.Conflict of Interest Yes Co-founder of Anaconda Biomed