An observational study in Acute Aortic Dissection, Aortic Rupture and Penetrating Aortic Ulcer, sponsored by Vascutek Ltd.. Active, not recruiting at 7 sites in 4 countries. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-07-09.
Sponsored by Vascutek Ltd. (part of Terumo Corporation) · Observational
This is a global, prospective non-interventional, multi-centre, post-market study of the Vascutek Thoraflex™ Hybrid system in patients with acute thoracic aortic syndrome, subacute/chronic dissection of the aorta and aortic aneurysm.
Aortic arch pathologies are rare, but pose significant challenges for treatment involving open surgical or endovascular repair.
In 1983 the Elephant Trunk technique was introduced and has greatly facilitated the management of patients with extensive thoracic aortic disease.
In recent years, this traditional open surgery has been combined with thoracic endovascular repair (TEVAR) and this is known as the 'hybrid' approach. Hybrid repairs, consisting of an open surgical repair combined with endovascular techniques.
Further advancement in the types of prosthesis available has resulted in the evolution of the conventional ET technique into the frozen elephant trunk (FET) technique. This utilises devices that incorporate both a traditional dacron graft (for open surgical treatment of the aortic arch) and a stented graft portion (for treatment of the descending thoracic aorta). The stented portion of the graft is introduced via an antegrade approach through the transected arch. The FET technique is now commonly used to treat patients with extensive thoracic or thoraco-abdominal aortic disease.
Vascutek Ltd has developed the Thoraflex™ Hybrid Device (Plexus™ 4 and Ante-Flo™) for the repair or replacement of damaged or diseased vessels of the ascending aorta, aortic arch and descending thoracic aorta in cases of aneurysm and/or dissection. The Thoraflex™ Hybrid Device is one of the commercially available frozen elephant trunk prosthesis.
Over 3000 Thoraflex™ Hybrid Devices have been sold and the current study seeks to provide further evidence of the continuing safety and effectiveness of the device.
24 studies on the registry are indexed under Penetrating Atherosclerotic Ulcer; 9 are open to participants now.
Browse Penetrating Atherosclerotic Ulcer studies →Vascutek Ltd. is the lead sponsor of 17 studies on the registry; 5 are open to participants now.
First submitted after Vascutek Ltd. became part of Terumo Corporation.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
60 patients with acute thoracic aortic syndrome, including: acute dissection, aortic rupture and penetrating aortic ulcer (PAU)
60 patients with a subacute/chronic dissection of the aorta
60 patients with an aortic aneurysm
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
A - Patient has acute thoracic aortic syndrome or B - Patient has subacute/ chronic dissection of the aorta or C - Patient has an aortic aneurysm (including connective tissue disorders)
A. Patients with acute thoracic aortic syndrome:
Patient has acute thoracic aortic syndrome and requires repair or replacement of damaged or diseased vessels of the aortic arch (with or without involvement of the ascending aorta), and the descending aorta requires replacement, or, in the opinion of the investigator, the patient would derive clinical benefit from prophylactic treatment of the descending aorta. This includes patients with acute dissections, rupture of the aorta or PAU.
B. Patients with subacute/chronic dissection of the aorta:
And patient satisfies one or more of the following criteria:
C. Patients with an aortic aneurysm (including connective tissue disorders):
And patient satisfies one or more of the following criteria:
or
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Investigational drug or device
A drug or device being studied in a clinical trial.
It may be new, or already approved and being studied for another use, dose or form. Criteria often leave out people who took part in another study of one within a recent period, commonly 30 days or five half-lives.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
60 patients, standard of care (non-interventional) EQ-5D-5L QOL Questionnaire
Behavioral: EQ-5D-5L QOL questionnaire
60 patients, standard of care (non-interventional) EQ-5D-5L QOL Questionnaire
Behavioral: EQ-5D-5L QOL questionnaire
60 patients, standard of care (non-interventional) EQ-5D-5L QOL Questionnaire
Behavioral: EQ-5D-5L QOL questionnaire
Written questionnaire
Freedom from Major Adverse Event
The primary endpoint will be freedom from the following composite Major Adverse Event (MAE): permanent stroke , permanent paraplegia/paraparesis, unanticipated aortic related re-operation (excluding re-operation for bleeding) and aortic related mortality
Time frame: 1 year post-procedure
Ran from May 2018 to primary completion in Apr 2025, 83 months.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
This study is active, not recruiting, as verified in Jul 2025. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
Penetrating Atherosclerotic Ulcer →