Background: As access to patient emboli is limited, embolus analogs (EAs) have become critical to the research of large vessel occlusion (LVO) stroke and the development of thrombectomy technology. To date, techniques for fabricating standardized human blood-derived EAs are limited in the variety of compositions, and the mechanical properties relevant to thrombectomy are not quantified.
Methods: EAs were made by mixing human banked red blood cells (RBCs), plasma, and platelet concentrate in 10 different volumetric percentage combinations to mimic the broad range of patient emboli causing LVO strokes.