Use of angled-tip aspiration catheters is associated with a lower cost of thrombectomy in patients with acute ischemic stroke secondary to large and medium vessel occlusions.

Background: Recently, the angled-tip Zoom aspiration catheters were introduced. The tip is designed to improve suction force for clot retrieval. We evaluated the possibility of reducing procedure costs when using angled-tip catheters and compared the safety and angiographic effectiveness of angled-tip versus straight-tip catheters.

Methods: We conducted a retrospective single-center cohort study involving patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large and medium vessel occlusions. The patients were divided into two groups: the post-Zoom group, in which angled-tip aspiration catheters were used and the pre-Zoom group, in which traditional straight-tip catheters were employed.

Results: A total of 163 patients were included; 95 (58.3%) in the pre-Zoom group and 68 (41.7%) in the post-Zoom group. The groups were well-matched at entry. The post-Zoom group demonstrated a significant decrease in mean procedure cost ($9728 vs. $12,127;  = 0.002), shorter time to achieve modified thrombolysis in cerebral infarction ≥2b reperfusion (38.30 min vs. 53.26 min;  = 0.018), and shorter puncture to procedure completion time (46.42 min vs. 62.38 min;  = 0.022). Additionally, the mean procedural cost when using the ADAPT technique supported by the Zoom catheters was significantly lower than the Solumbra technique ($5754 ± $2806 vs. $13,498 ± $3244,  < 0.001). There were no differences in the rate of hemorrhage between the pre-Zoom group (17.9%) and the post-Zoom group (20.6%),  = 0.690.

Conclusion: The study demonstrated significant benefits, including cost reduction and shorter time to achieve reperfusion in patients treated with Zoom aspiration catheters. These findings support the use of angled-tip catheters in acute ischemic stroke management.