Safety and Effectiveness of SOFIA™/SOFIA™ PLUS for Direct Aspiration in Acute Ischemic Stroke

Several publications describing the use of aspiration as a first line treatment technique in AIS patients have shown superior technical results with similar clinical outcomes to those seen when using a traditional stent retriever. They have also shown decreased procedure time and cost. The aim of this study is to show similar results in terms of speed, Effectiveness and safety when SOFIA™/ SOFIA™ PLUS is the catheter used for first line aspiration thrombectomy. The SOFIA™ (Soft Torqueable Catheter Optimized For Intracranial Access) and SOFIA™ PLUS Catheter are single lumen, flexible catheters, designed with coil and braid reinforcement. The SOFIA™ / SOFIA™ PLUS catheters have a soft distal tip for easy navigation in tortuous vessels. The tip is steam shapable and the proximal shaft torquable to help steer around challenging bifurcations. The coil and braid construction provides enhanced kink resistance and 1:1 push / pull control. Once navigated to the site of the occlusion, the SOFIA™ / SOFIA™ PLUS catheters can be used in conjunction with an aspiration source, such as a pump or syringe, to facilitate aspiration thrombectomy of the occluded vessel. The SOFIA™ / SOFIA™ PLUS catheters have large lumens, developed to maximize aspiration power and capture of thrombus. SESAME is a multi-center, single arm, prospective, observational registry of the SOFIA™/ SOFIA™ PLUS Catheter in Europe. Consecutive patients presenting within 6 hours of symptom onset with an anterior circulation large vessel occlusion (LVO) acute ischemic stroke (within the internal carotid artery and internal carotid terminus, middle cerebral -M1/M2 segments) will be treated using aspiration thrombectomy as first intention and site routine practice. Devices received CE-mark and will be used according to the 'Instructions For Use'. The follow-up visits will occur at 24 +/- 12 hours, at patient discharge, and 90+/-14 days post-procedure. Furthermore the study design is adaptive, prospectively stating interim analyses with specified stopping rules, which allow for the possibility of the study to terminate early based on either a determination of study success or of the futility to continue further enrollment.