Deep vein thrombosis, or DVT, is a disorder that kills an estimated 60,000 to 10,000 Americans each year.

Dr. Steven Abramowitz, chairman of vascular surgery for MedStar Health, told WTOP that until now, vascular surgeons had few options to remove clots from venous stents placed in deep veins in the body.

In March, Abramowitz became the first in the world to use the recently-approved RevCore thrombectomy catheter to clean out rigid clots and debris from stents in 10 patients suffering symptoms of venous stent failure at MedStar Washington Hospital Center.

“One of the exciting things about this new procedure is that it allows patients who previously had no options for their blocked venous stents to have a successful procedure that can open these stents,” Abramowitz said.

He’s also a paid consultant of Inari Medical, the company behind the RevCore device.

Abramowitz said so far there have been no independent risks associated with the RevCore device beyond the typical risks of performing a venous based procedure such as bleeding or infection at the access site.

He said the stent cleaning procedure is minimally invasive and is typically completed within an hour. It doesn’t require a hospital stay and most patients can go back to their normal routines the next day.

“For the most part, we’ve seen sustained and durable results for the patients we’ve intervened on thus far,” said Abramowitz.

DVT clots usually develop in the lower leg, thigh or pelvis, but they can also occur elsewhere.

The CDC warns that symptoms can include swelling, pain, tenderness, or redness. Anyone with symptoms of DVT should reach out to their doctor as soon as possible.