Each year, a significant portion of Americans suffer a stroke, with 610,000 people affected by a new presentation of the disease and 185,000 faced with a recurring case [1]. It is estimated that on average in the United States, every 40 s, a person has a stroke and every 4 min someone dies from a stroke. Of these strokes, 87% are ischemic, where an embolus, usually a blood clot, blocks vital blood flow in an artery of the brain, potentially leading to brain damage, physical disability, or death.
We have developed a combination shape memory alloy (SMA) and passively actuated shape memory polymer (SMP) foam mechanical thrombectomy device to build on previous mechanical thrombectomy devices constructed using actively actuated shape memory polymers [2]. A mechanical thrombectomy device is designed to be inserted endovascularly via catheter past the blood clot, where the device is deployed and then...
