Open-heart surgery takes twice as long to perform and often requires the surgeon to divide the breastbone lengthwise down the middle and spread the halves apart to access the heart.
After the heart is repaired, surgeons use wires to hold the breastbone and ribs in place as they heal, which requires a longer period of rehabilitation before the patient makes a full recovery.
Dr Murray Kwon, a UCLA cardiothoracic surgeon who participated in the procedure, said: 'Retrieving a clot from within the heart used to require open-heart surgery, resulting in longer hospitalisation, recovery and rehabilitation times compared to the minimally invasive approach provided by the AngioVac system.'
A clot-busting drug known as tPA typically takes three to four days to work and failed when doctors tried to use it on Dunlap due to the clot's large size and density.
Dr Moriarty said: 'The AngioVac was the last resort for the patient. The clot clogged his heart chamber like a wad of gum in a pipe. Every moment that passed increased the risk that the clot would migrate to his lungs and kill him.
Dunlap, who lives in Newbury Park, California, said: 'This procedure is a great option for the older, frail person who wouldn't survive open-heart surgery. Without an alternative like this, he's a goner.'
