AngioVac for Minimally Invasive Removal of Intravascular and Intracardiac Masses: a Systematic Review

Purpose Of Review: Management of intracardiac masses, such as right heart thrombi and catheter-related vegetations, can be challenging. Many patients are high-risk candidates for surgical extraction due to multiple comorbidities and risk of distal embolization. In this review, we highlight the advancements in percutaneous approaches for treatment of intracardiac masses utilizing AngioVac (AngioDynamic, Latham, NY).

Recent Findings: With the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approval of the AngioVac System in 2009, a growing body of evidence has proven it to be a feasible and effective tool to extract thrombi and masses from the iliocaval system and the right heart. In this review, we highlight the feasibility of AngioVac System (AngioDynamic, Latham, NY) based on the published cases series and registries. Future randomized controlled trials are needed to establish an algorithmic approach in treating intracardiac masses.