Methods and systems for treatment of acute ischemic stroke

A system of devices for treating an occlusion in a cerebral artery of a patient, comprising:

• a transcervical access sheath adapted to be introduced into a common carotid artery via an opening directly in the artery, the opening being positioned above the patient's clavicle and below a bifurcation location where the patient's common carotid artery bifurcates into an internal carotid artery and external carotid artery, wherein the transcervical access sheath has an internal lumen and a portion that splits into a first, proximal, expandable region and a second proximal, expandable region in parallel to the first proximal, expandable region;
• a distal catheter sized and shaped to be inserted axially through the internal lumen of the transcervical access sheath such that the distal catheter can be inserted into a cerebral artery via the transcervical access sheath, wherein the distal catheter has an internal lumen defined by an inner diameter, and wherein the distal catheter is longer than the access sheath and wherein the distal catheter has a length sufficient for a distal end of the distal catheter to reach a cerebral artery when a proximal region of the distal catheter is located in the common carotid artery, and wherein a distal region of the distal catheter is more flexible than a proximal region of the distal catheter, and wherein the distal catheter has a total length such that a proximal-most region of the distal catheter can be positioned in the common carotid artery while the distal region of the distal catheter is simultaneously positioned in the cerebral artery;
• an elongated inner member sized and shaped to be inserted axially through the lumen of the transcervical access sheath, wherein the inner member has an internal lumen;
• a guidewire configured to be inserted into the cerebral artery via internal lumen of the inner member;
• wherein the inner member has an outer diameter configured to form a smooth transition between the inner diameter of the distal catheter and the outer diameter of the guidewire;
• and
• a first aspiration pump device fluidly connected to the internal lumen of the access sheath, the pump device including a first outer housing that encloses a first chamber that contains the first proximal, expandable region of the access sheath;
• a second aspiration pump device fluidly connected to the internal lumen of the access sheath, the pump device including a second outer housing that encloses a second chamber that contains the second proximal, expandable region of the access sheath, wherein the first aspiration pump device and the second aspiration pump device alternate between expanded and retracted states such that the first aspiration pump device is in in an expanded state while the second aspiration pump device is in in a retracted state such that the first aspiration pump device and the second aspiration pump device collectively drive fluid through the internal lumen of the access sheath;
• a vacuum source coupled to the chamber of the aspiration pump device, wherein the vacuum source activates to create a reduced pressure within the chamber relative to the pressure within the internal lumen of the access sheath to cause the proximal, expandable region of the access sheath to expand to an increased volume within the chamber and thereby pull blood into the proximal, expandable region of the access sheath;
• a first check valve at an entranceway to the chamber of the aspiration pump device, wherein the first check valve is a one-way check valve that opens to permit fluid to flow only in a direction into the chamber when the proximal, expandable region of the access sheath expands to an increased volume within the chamber;
• and
• a second check valve at an exit way out of the chamber of the aspiration pump device, wherein the second check valve is a one-way check valve that opens to permit fluid to flow only in a direction out of the chamber.