Stanford’s Milli-Spinner Breakthrough Doubles Stroke Treatment Success

In a breakthrough that could redefine stroke treatment, Stanford University researchers have unveiled the milli-spinner thrombectomy, a device that’s turning heads—and saving lives. This innovative technology, a sleek, rotating tube equipped with fins and slits, navigates through a catheter to tackle blood clots with unprecedented precision. Unlike existing methods that often struggle to remove clots without breaking them apart, the milli-spinner compresses clots to as little as 5% of their original size, preserving the fibrin threads that hold them together. This prevents dangerous fragments from escaping and clogging hard-to-reach vessels.

The implications are staggering. For ischemic strokes, where every second counts as 1.9 million brain neurons perish per minute, current devices succeed in clearing clots on the first try only about half the time. The milli-spinner? It’s boosting success rates to 90% for the toughest clots, a game-changer for patients facing strokes, heart attacks, or pulmonary embolisms. Jeremy Heit, Stanford’s chief of neuroimaging and neurointervention, calls it a “sea-change technology” that could transform how we restore blood flow to the brain.

What’s more, this device isn’t a one-trick pony. Beyond strokes, it shows promise for applications like removing kidney stone fragments. With animal studies and flow models backing its efficacy, published in Nature on June 4, the team is now racing toward clinical trials to bring this life-saving tool to hospitals. Renee Zhao, the project’s senior author, emphasizes its unique ability to reshape and compact clots, offering hope for dramatically improved outcomes.