Venous Thromboembolic Disease: The Use of the Aspiration Thrombectomy Device AngioVac

Central venous thrombosis is a complex problem, particularly in cases where the thrombus burden is large. Several interventional techniques and devices have been developed over the past 15 to 20 years to manage this entity, but the vast majority of them still need the concomitant use of thrombolytics to achieve an optimal result. AngioVac (AngioDynamics, Latham, NY) is the first aspiration thrombectomy device capable to remove a larger burden of undesired intravascular material such as thrombus, tumor, and foreign bodies without the need of lytics. This review focuses on the AngioVac device in the management of iliocaval thrombosis and pulmonary embolism.