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A tiny corkscrewlike device to remove blood clots from the brains of stroke victims won government approval Monday, giving doctors a new treatment option.
In 80 percent of strokes, a blood vessel in the brain becomes blocked by a blood clot, increasing the chance of severe disability or death.
The Merci Retriever, produced by Mountain View, Calif.-based Concentric Medical, is threaded through an artery to remove the clot.
The device, tested at 25 medical centers in 141 patients unable to be treated with a drug that clears clots, must be used within three hours of suffering a stroke.
