January 21, 2009 – Delivering clot-busting drugs with an ultrasound-enhanced delivery system could reduce the amount of drugs needed to break up dangerous blood clots in the legs and pelvis, according to discussions surrounding a live case demonstration at the 21st annual International Symposium on Endovascular Therapy (ISET 2009).
In a live case preformed yesterday viewed by hundreds of endovacular specialists, Constantino Peña, M.D., an interventional radiologist at Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute in Miami, FL, treated a 74-year-old male with a blocked leg artery. Dr. Peña delivered the drug Tenecteplase (TNK) to the clot via ultrasound-accelerated catheter-directed thrombolysis, and the clot was completely dissolved upon examination 12 hours later.
In a discussion of the live case, Dr. Peña indicated that the amount of TNK used to dissolve the clot was half what is typically used. Lowering the amount of drug needed to dissolve clots can significantly reduce the risk of major bleeding, according to Barry Katzen, M.D., founder and medical director of Baptist Cardiac & Vascular Institute.
ISET 2009 is attended by more than 1,200 physicians, scientists, allied health professionals and industry professionals from around the world. The meeting reportedly pioneered the use of live cases to promote the multidisciplinary treatment of cardiac and vascular disease by endovascular means.
For more information: www.ISET.org
June 19, 2025 
