Endovascular Device for Rapid Blood Clot Removal
University of California, San Diego
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
MAE 156B: Senior Design Project (Winter 2025)
Embedded Files
Project Background
Project Background
Chronic kidney disease affects over 10% of the global population. It can progress to end-stage renal disease (ESRD), a condition requiring life-saving hemodialysis for over 800,000 people in the United States. Hemodialysis relies on arteriovenous fistulas or grafts to connect arteries and veins, but these are prone to clotting, which can block treatment access and lead to severe complications. While current clot removal devices exist, they are often limited by high costs, reduced safety, and inconsistent effectiveness. Existing endovascular thrombectomy devices - devices used to break up blood clots within the vessel - suffer from efficiency, safety, and reliability issues, often requiring multiple procedures or posing risks of tip breakage. If a device tip breaks during a thrombectomy procedure, it can come loose in the AV fistula or graft and travel through the bloodstream, causing further clotting or arterial stroke. With the clot removal device market projected to grow to $2 billion by 2031, developing innovative solutions is essential to improving patient outcomes.
Arteriovenous (AV) graft and fistula
Project Objectives
Project Objectives
The previous team created a 1.5x scale clot removal device. Our goal is to make a true-to-size thrombectomy device that matches standard thrombectomy device dimensions (2 mm or 6 French). Additionally, the team designed a custom-built 3-motor speed control drive unit with an interchangeable insert for various thrombolytic devices. Finally, a newly designed testbed to study the efficacy of current market devices and the team's designed design device.
Final Mechanical Thrombectomy Design
Final Mechanical Thrombectomy Design
Features a novel non-driven tip mechanism for enhanced safety and reliability, minimizing the risk of tip breakage. The expandable nitinol basket efficiently fragments large clots up to 8 mm, while the three-speed drive unit allows for precise clot removal. The device is designed with an ergonomic grip to ensure improved handling and control during procedures.
CAD of the Blood Clot Thrombectomy Device
Detailed CAD of the Thrombolytic Device
Photo of the team's device
Testbed
Testbed
This year’s test bed features an improved design over last year’s model, incorporating a closed-loop system that generates back pressure on the reservoir side of the graft. This enhancement ensures that the jello remains within the graft while the pump is active and thrombectomy devices are inserted. Shutoff valves have been added along the flow pathway, allowing flow rate adjustments and easy reservoir replacement between trials. Additionally, a camera-based clot quantification system has been integrated, enabling real-time analysis of fragmented clots to ensure compliance with the safety threshold of clot sizes below 2 mm.
CAD of the Testbed
Performance
Performance
Five trials were conducted using a 5-tablespoon-to-2-cup water ratio of jello to simulate clot consistency. The team's device was tested alongside existing devices, with clot fragmentation efficacy analyzed using computer vision.
The results, shown in the table, indicate that while the team's design achieved a 79.45% clot breakage rate under 2 mm—slightly below the Treotola device—it demonstrated a higher density of broken clots in the kernel density estimation analysis. This suggests that with further testing, the team's device could outperform the Treotola in breaking down smaller clots
% Efficacy rates of devices tested
Kernel Density Estimation of Broken Clot Size Distribution Between Different Devices
Product Video
Product Video
Executive Summary
Final Presentation
Poster
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