A303 Introduction of a novel funnel catheter in interventional stroke management. The athena study

<h3>Introduction</h3> As the global burden of ischemic stroke continues to rise alongside an aging population, the need for innovation in endovascular stroke therapy remains urgent. The ANA5 funnel catheter is a novel device designed to enhance stent retriever-based mechanical thrombectomy by enabling proximal flow arrest and aspiration during clot retrieval <h3>Aim of Study</h3> Building on promising early experience, the ATHENA trial aims to rigorously evaluate the clinical benefit of ANA5 as an adjunct to stent retrievers in large vessel occlusion stroke. <h3>Method</h3> The ANAIS feasibility study evaluated the safety and preliminary performance of ANA5 in a single-arm design. The ongoing ATHENA trial is a prospective, randomized study conducted across 20 centers in the US and Europe, systematically evaluating the impact of flow arrest on reperfusion effectiveness. <h3>Results</h3> During ANAIS, forty-three patients underwent thrombectomy within 24 hours of symptom onset (median NIHSS 16). Successful reperfusion (eTICI 2b50–3 within 3 passes) was achieved in 70% of the ITT and 81% of the PP population. In a subset treated with ANA5 deployed in the ICA C2–C3 segment with continuous aspiration, First Pass Effect (FPE eTICI 2c-3) was achieved in 83%, with 100% achieving successful reperfusion within three passes. These findings informed the ATHENA trial, the first stroke study to use FPE as a primary efficacy endpoint. <h3>Conclusions</h3> ANA5 demonstrated encouraging safety and reperfusion results in feasibility studies. Its novel design, offering a new strategy for clot retrieval, is now under formal evaluation in the randomized ATHENA trial. <h3>Conflict of Interest</h3> Yes Co-founder of Anaconda Biomed