In vitro diagnostic technologies provider Surmodics has announced the successful early clinical use of its Pounce XL Thrombectomy System.

Walter Rizzoni, a vascular surgeon at University of Pittsburg Medical Center (UPMC) Hamot in Pennsylvania, US, used the Pounce XL Thrombectomy System to restore blood flow in a thrombosed 8mm stent graft.

The system received US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) 510(k) clearance in September 2024.

It is presently in limited market release (LMR). A full commercial launch is planned after the LMR phase is complete.

Surmodics Pounce Thrombectomy systems are designed for non-surgical removal of thrombi and emboli from peripheral arterial vasculature.

The Pounce Thrombectomy Platform includes the Pounce, Pounce LP, and Pounce XL thrombectomy systems. All are FDA-cleared, fully mechanical devices for removing thrombus or embolus.

The new Pounce XL Thrombectomy System is intended for vessels 5.5–10mm in diameter, typical of iliac and femoral arteries.

It complements the Pounce and Pounce LP Thrombectomy Systems, designed for 3.5–6mm and 2–4mm vessels, respectively.

According to Surmodics, the Pounce Thrombectomy Platform systems are “grab-and-go” solutions that are easy to deploy and use. Each system includes a delivery catheter, a basket wire, and a funnel catheter.

The basket wire is delivered past the thrombus, deploying two nitinol self-expanding baskets.

These baskets capture the clot and retract into the nitinol collection funnel, the medical device firm said.

Surmodics president and CEO Gary Maharaj said: “The addition of this larger-profile device to the Pounce Thrombectomy Platform fulfils our goal of providing physicians a standalone solution for rapid removal of acute or chronic peripheral arterial clot throughout the lower extremity.

“With hospitals under growing pressure to reduce costs, we believe the standalone Pounce Thrombectomy Platform may help reduce the need for hospitalisations and follow-up procedures.”

In October 2024, Surmodics announced early results from its PROWL registry study.

PROWL is an open-label, retrospective, multi-centre US registry studying the Surmodics Pounce Thrombectomy Platform for non-surgical removal of emboli and thrombi in peripheral arteries.

Early results from the PROWL registry showed 97.1% procedural flow restoration in 74 patients with limb ischemia.

Additionally, 79.7% of patients required no additional treatment post-Pounce, with many having subacute or chronic ischemia.

In May last year, Surmodics agreed to be acquired by private equity firm GTCR in a deal worth around $627m in a move to go private.