A Permanent Common Carotid Filter for Stroke Prevention in Atrial Fibrillation: Ex Vivo and In Vivo Pre-Clinical Testing.

Background And Purpose: A novel, permanent, bilateral, common carotid artery (CCA) coil filter implant was designed to capture stroke-producing emboli in atrial fibrillation patients. Under ultrasound guidance, it is automatically deployed through a 24-guage needle and is retrievable up to 4 h post-procedure. We assessed the feasibility, safety, and effectiveness of the CCA filter in pre-clinical testing.