Novel Use of the Penumbra CAT 12 Lightning Aspiration System for the Treatment of a Complex Thrombus

Debulking procedures using aspiration devices have been previously described in the literature to treat vegetations or thrombi on intracardiac structures such as the tricuspid valve. Transcatheter therapy has also been shown to be an effective alternative to surgical treatment for managing high risk or non-surgical patients. Furthermore, aspiration procedures can help identify the unique etiologies of intracardiac masses which can greatly impact differing treatment modalities. Utilization of aspiration devices combined with blood-loss limiting technologies have led to an increased interest in using aspiration systems to address a wider array of clinical situations that can occur. Herein we describe our experience in using the Penumbra CAT 12 Lightning Aspiration System in addressing and treating a mobile mass attached to the lead of an implantable cardiac device.