Clot-Busting Drug Clears Clogged Catheters

A multicenter study has demonstrated that tissue plasminogen activator (TPA) opens 88% of clogged catheters. The study was presented at the 13th Annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET) in Miami (FL, USA).

Many hospital patients have central venous access catheters threaded into veins typically under the collarbone to receive life-saving chemotherapy, nutrition, or antibiotic treatments or for withdrawing blood for testing. However, as many as one in every five clog and cause problems. Several years ago, the only drug approved for clearing catheters was withdrawn by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) because of safety concerns. Since then, researchers have been looking for a replacement. The current study is part of an effort to win FDA approval for the use of TPA in clearing catheters.

"Catheters are the cornerstone of virtually every major lifesaving form of therapy,” said William D. Haire, M.D., professor of oncology and hematology at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha (USA) and lead researcher. "Without these catheters, patients can't get the therapy necessary to treat the disease.”



Related Links:
Annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy