Stents have long been a part of the lives of people. It is critical to keep clots and emboli in check to maintain the vascular health of people. Stent retriever mechanical thrombectomy is used standardly in treatment of strokes. The research done in this article on thrombectomy in acute stroke treatment is
When researchers need to safely study potential devices for human medical use, they increasingly turn to porcine models. Swine are very similar to human bodies and have been used in medical research for decades, making porcine organs, tissues, and bodies an excellent research topic.
Using Porcine Models in Thrombectomy Studies
A recent 2018 study from the journal Interventional Neurology tested the new NeVaTM Stent Retriever, a device designed to address the problem of thrombotic occlusions in coronary stents. Which is to say, blood clots forming in artificial stents used to hold blood vessels open, blocking blood flow to critical organs. As described in this 2023 research, stent thrombosis “has been associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality, often leading to events of cardiac death or nonfatal myocardial infarction (MI).”
New techniques to remove these clots are highly desirable, and the NeVaTM device showed excellent results when tested on swine.
Researchers induced stent thrombosis in 35 pigs and then utilized the NeVaTM device to remove them. It performed exceptionally well, achieving near full or full reperfusion in 34 of 35 cases including all 17 subjects with whole blood clot occlusions. It was also able to achieve this with an average of well less than 2 passes, indicating that the procedure could often be completed successfully on the first try.
The paper’s authors concluded that the NeVaTM device’s unique hybrid cell design, and improved visibility when in use, allowed higher success rates than similar devices. They indicated that there was high promise for human trials and were hopeful it could improve outcomes for stroke victims.
In addition, research into the use of porcine vascular systems in human medicine is ongoing. For example, this 2021 study from the Journal Vascular Brasileiro studied physiological similarities and differences between swine and human vascular systems, producing valuable data for planning future swine-based research.
Animal Biotech Industries Enables Excellent Research
For over twenty years, we have been one of the nation’s most reliable sources for porcine blood, organs, and other pig tissue used for research purposes. Our focus is on maintaining the strictest standards in harvesting, storing, packaging, and transporting post-mortem tissue so that it arrives in exceptional condition. Our expert anatomists and physiologists can also assist you in determining the best pig tissues for the needs of your research.
We’re improving research outcomes every day. Browse our catalog, or contact us with any special requests.
