An Electrical Thrombectomy Device Using Plasma Created Chemistry in a Saline Environment to Dissolve Vascular Clots

Abstract

An electrical thrombectomy device, using liquid plasma generated radicals for removing intravascular blood clots, causing either the chronic total occlusion clots or DVT clots, was demonstrated. We employed a proxy experimental clot model of DVT with the blood filled collagen sheets. We also treated a real equine blood clot. Both clot samples were provided by the Veterinary Hospital of Colorado State University. Optical emission spectroscopy was used to examine the relative populations of the reactive chemical species generated by the liquid plasma that drives the clot dissolution during 10 min. of liquid plasma treatment at 20 W of average input power. The removal rate of the blood clots is typically up to 2 mm3 per minute and cylindrical volumes of 3 mm diameter and 14 mm long were removed. The thermal damage to contiguous tissue at the periphery of the removal volume was determined to be is >200 µm from conventional histology analysis. We determined by FTIR spectroscopy that the collagen denaturing in liquid plasma occurs primarily via Amide III bond breakage.