EVALUATION OF A NEW MECHANICAL ATHERECTOMY SYSTEM (TRAC) IN NORMAL CANINE CORONARY-ARTERIES

Background: The feasibility and safety of a new mechanical atherectomy device, the Transluminal Rotary Atherectomy System (TRAC), for coronary application was examined in vivo in eight dogs. The system operates over a standard balloon coronary guide wire and excises and removes the atherosclerotic material in a single application. Methods: The TRAC was introduced percutaneously using routine cardiac catheterization technique in four open-chest dogs (acute experiments) and in four closed-chest dogs (chronic experiments). Results: Coronary angiography at the end of the procedure and 1-3 days later demonstrated normal coronary arteries without evidence of dissection, perforation, spasm, or thrombus formation. Macroscopic examination revealed perivascular bleeding along the treated coronary arteries in two out of eight dogs. Microscopic examination of these arteries demonstrated minimal endothelial peeling. Histology of the other coronary arteries demonstrated normal intact blood vessels without evidence for thrombus formation. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that it is feasible and relatively safe to introduce and operate the new TRAC mechanical atherectomy system in the normal coronary arteries of a beating dog heart.