Computer Assisted Vacuum Thrombectomy (CAVT^™): Revolutionizing Frontline Blood Clot Care

Approximately 900,000 Americans a year are affected by venous thromboembolism (VTE), or blood clots in the body, resulting in up to 100,000 premature deaths.¹ These blood clots are often difficult to diagnose, resulting in delays in care or misdiagnosis. Traditional treatment options, including anticoagulants and thrombolytic therapy, may come with serious risks such as severe bleeding.² The associated health care costs of managing VTE are estimated at up to $10 billion each year.³

Over the last decade there has been a series of advancements in blood clot management, including mechanical thrombectomy, a minimally invasive endovascular procedure, in which a catheter is used to remove the clot. The first generation of thrombectomy devices rely on analog technologies and have limitations in practice. These devices often rely on some combination of stent retriever-like designs, inferior syringe aspiration, or the use of lytics to enable thrombus removal, which can be cumbersome and time-consuming.

Today, the latest innovation, computer-assisted vacuum thrombectomy (CAVT), uses advanced technologies and microprocessor algorithms to enable physicians to detect and remove blood clots quickly and safely.

Penumbra’s CAVT: Advanced Technology Designed to Improve Patient Outcomes

CAVT combines superior catheter design with the power of a microprocessor. Equipped with dual clot detection algorithms to help facilitate rapid recognition and removal of thrombus, CAVT enables a streamlined, intuitive experience for providers. Recent studies have shown that CAVT can result in short procedure times, reduce hospital length of stay, and improve patient outcomes and quality of life.^4,5,6

Features and Benefits of CAVT

Enhanced Sensitivity to Thrombus

With the latest microprocessor algorithms, Penumbra’s CAVT technology, including the Lightning Flash and Lightning Bolt portfolios, can detect both thrombus and patent blood flow with high speed and efficiency. This technology is designed to help healthcare providers respond to the changing dynamics of the procedure with computer-driven precision and confidence.

Audio-Visual Cues for Intuitive Operation

Penumbra’s CAVT technology also provides simple audio-visual cues that guide the physician through the procedural steps. CAVT seamlessly alternates between “Sampling Mode” and “Clot Detection Mode” with distinctive sounds and lights signaling each mode, offering a more intuitive experience. These cues are designed to enhance the system’s usability by giving physicians real-time information during the procedure to make informed decisions quickly.

Power and Efficiency in Clot Removal

An impactful driver of Penumbra’s CAVT technology is its utilization of the Penumbra ENGINE®, which delivers nearly pure, continuous vacuum (-29 inHg or -98.2 kPa) to the thrombus. Penumbra’s CAVT algorithms provide an optimized valve cadence to more efficiently deliver vacuum to thrombus across a wide range of vessel sizes.

“The use of CAVT is poised to expand as we have a growing body of evidence that demonstrates the meaningful benefits of CAVT on patient outcomes and quality of life, as well as potentially decreasing the overall cost of VTE care,” said James F. Benenati, M.D., FSIR, chief medical officer at Penumbra. “The promise of CAVT is not just about embracing new technology — it’s about embracing a valuable frontline option that could have a wide-ranging impact on both patient care and hospital systems overall.”

Penumbra’s CAVT Portfolio

Lightning Flash 2.0
Lightning Flash 2.0 features next-gen software for the removal of venous thrombus and the treatment of PE in a 16 F profile.

Lightning Bolt 7
Lightning Bolt 7, designed for frontline endovascular thrombus removal, offers modulated aspiration in a 7 F profile.

Lightning Bolt 12
Lightning Bolt 12, engineered for improved clot removal efficiency, offers modulated aspiration in a 12 F profile.

Lightning Bolt 6X with TraX™
Lightning Bolt 6X with TraX, designed to reach and remove thrombus from smaller vessels with confidence, offers modulated aspiration in a 6 F profile.

Important Safety Information

Additional information about Penumbra’s products can be located on Penumbra’s website at https://www.penumbrainc.com/products/peripheral-thrombectomy-cavt/. Caution: Federal (USA) law restricts these devices to sale by or on the order of a physician. Prior to use, please refer to Instructions for Use for complete product indications, contraindications, warnings, precautions, potential adverse events and detailed instructions for use. Risk information can be found at peninc.info/risk.

Copyright ©2025 Penumbra, Inc. All rights reserved. CAVT, Lightning Flash, Lightning Bolt, and TraX are registered trademarks or trademarks of Penumbra, Inc. in the USA and other countries. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

<sup>1. “Data and Statistics on Venous Thromboembolism.” Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 28 June 2023, https://www.cdc.gov/blood-clots/data-research/facts-stats/index.html.
2. “Venous Thromboembolism: Treatment.” National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Last updated on September 20, 2022. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/venous-thromboembolism/treatment.
3. Beckman M, Hooper WC, Critchley S, Ortel T. Venous thromboembolism: a public health concern. Am J Prev Med. 2010;38(4 Suppl):S495-501.
4. Maldonado TS, Powell A, Wendorff H, et al. Safety and efficacy of mechanical aspiration thrombectomy for patients with acute lower extremity ischemia. J Vasc Surg. 2024;79(3):584–592.e5. doi:10.1016/j.jvs.2023.10.062.
5. Moriarty JM, Dohad SY, Schiro BJ, Tamaddon H, Heithaus RE, Iliadis EA, Dexter II DJ, Shavelle DM, Leal SRN, Attallah A, West FM, Keeling WB, Sharp AS, Weinberg I, Clinical, Functional, and Quality of Life Outcomes after Computer Assisted Vacuum Thrombectomy for Pulmonary Embolism: Interim Analysis of the STRIKE-PE Study, Journal of Vascular and Interventional Radiology (2024), doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvir.2024.04.028.
6. Patel P, Dohad S, Moriarty J, et al. Healthcare resource utilization and outcomes among patients with intermediate-risk pulmonary embolism treated with computer-assisted vacuum thrombectomy versus other treatment modalities. Presented at: VIVA (Vascular InterVentional Advances) 2024; 04 November 2024; Las Vegas, NV.</sup>