Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

Aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH), caused by a ruptured aneurysm (bleeding into the space surrounding the brain), is a serious, life-threatening event effecting 30,000 patients per year in the US. Initial treatment focuses on stopping the bleeding, restoring normal blood flow, and relieving the pressure on the brain. Patients are then typically closely observed in the hospital for 14 days to monitor for post-securement complications, hydrocephalus and for the body to reabsorb any remaining blood from the subarachnoid space (SAS). Approximately 30% of the SAH patients after aneurysm securement will develop post-securement complications, and morbidity and mortality due to these complications remains constant at 14-36%, with delayed ischemic neurological deficit reported to be as high as 50% in patients with these complications. There remains a significant unmet need to improve outcomes for these patients via early removal of blood products (e.g. hemoglobin, oxyhemoglobin, and downstream inflammatory proteins) from the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). Early removal has been shown to reduce the incidence of vasospasm, stroke, hydrocephalus and shunting, and result in a shorter hospital course. The Neurapheresis therapy is designed to quickly remove blood and blood products from the CSF post-securement and reduce the incidence of post-securement complications and their resulting mortality/morbidity.
Minnetronix Medical recently completed the PILLAR Feasibility Trial for the use of the Neurapheresis therapy in SAH patients. The FDA has since given approval for the PILLAR XT study, a 30-patient extension further investigating the use of the Neurapheresis platform with SAH patients.
Research supported by the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number R44NS110247
PILLAR XT Significant Risk IDE #
clinicaltrials.gov: NCT03607825
Scientific Advisory Board
  • J. Javier Provencio, MD (Louise Nerancy Associate Professor in Neurology; Director, Nerancy Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit; Associate Professor, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, Neuroscience, University of Virginia)
  • Michael Diringer, MD (Professor of Neurology; Head, Neurological Critical Care Section (Adult Neurology), Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis)
  • Michael Levitt, MD (Assistant Professor of Neurological Surgery and Radiology, UW Medicine)

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