Penumbra has announced new data that demonstrate patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism (PE) treated with Penumbra’s computer-assisted vacuum thrombectomy (CAVT) technology have a shorter length of hospital stay, shorter post-procedure length of stay and fewer complications when compared to other treatment options. Additionally, in-hospital mortality was low with CAVT, with no significant difference between treatment options. The late-breaking study was presented at VIVA 2024 (3–6 November, Las Vegas, USA).
“This first-of-a-kind analysis demonstrates that patients treated with CAVT utilised fewer hospital resources,” said Parag Patel (Froedtert Hospital, Milwaukee, USA), who presented the data. “These findings, as well as recent studies which show CAVT’s positive impact on patient outcomes, strongly showcase the significant benefits of CAVT over other treatment options for PE. We will continue to see the growing adoption of CAVT as a frontline therapy given the notable beneficial impact on patients and the overall health system.”
The retrospective study utilised the Vizient Clinical Data Base to identify 2,060 adult inpatients with intermediate-risk PE. This rigorous 1:1 propensity score-matched analysis included resource use and health outcomes among patients in the USA treated with Penumbra’s Lightning Flash or Lightning 12 technology compared to patients in the USA treated with anticoagulation, catheter-directed thrombolysis or other mechanical thrombectomy devices.
When compared to other modalities studied, the data showed that CAVT resulted in 25–35% shorter total hospital length of stay, 25–30% higher average rate of patients discharged home, and two to three times fewer average composite complications.
In the study, CAVT was associated with improvement in contribution margin relative to anticoagulation alone. An example given was that if 10% more patients are treated with CAVT, hospitals could see up to a 75% gain in profitable contribution margin, representing thousands of US dollars more per patient compared to treatment with anticoagulation alone. These data were presented separately in a symposium during VIVA 2024.
