New Procedure Aims To Lower Risk Of Further Strokes In Patients
MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) -- Tuesday is National Stroke Prevention Day, a way to bring attention to our nation's leading cause of disability. Strokes cause serious disruption of blood flow to the brain, but a new procedure is showing promise long before trouble hits.
At 71, Ned Berube's survived two debilitating strokes. The active runner credits his wife Sue for spotting the warning signs.
"If she hadn't done what she did, I would not be in good shape at all, honestly," he said.
Shortly after his stroke in March, Berube was again in the care of United Hospital vascular surgeon Dr. Brian Miller, who performed a new procedure to reduce his risks of further strokes, which are caused when plaque breaks away and blocks blood flow to the brain.
Miller and United's vascular clinic team performed Trans Carotid Artery Revascularization on Ned's right carotid artery. The device, developed by Silk Road Medical, reverses the artery's blood flow during the procedure. That prevents bits of plaque flowing to the brain as a stent is put in place.
"Not uncommonly in most procedures you'll see a little particle that would have gone to the brain if we hadn't done it that way," Miller said.
It's also less invasive, requiring smaller incisions, meaning a day after his procedure, Berube was back home.
"Because we're getting patients back out of the hospital you have lower risks of blood clots, lower risk of infections and it's good for a patient, who get's back to life, that's what we're doing this procedure for," Miller said.
Quick intervention and medical technology, giving stroke patients like Berube better outcomes. It's important to know the common symptoms of stroke, and take action immediately, so click here for a fact sheet on strokes.