Watch Now: Great News For Stroke Patients

(VIDEO: Guilherme Dabus, M.D. and Italo Linfante, M.D., of the Baptist Health Neuroscience Center discuss the findings of a new study that offers positive news for stroke patients.)

A cutting-edge stroke treatment has just received a clinical vote of confidence. A study published in the December issue of New England Journal of Medicine is shedding light on the benefits of endovascular therapy for patients suffering large vessel occlusions (blood clots) in the brain.

The study, conducted in the Netherlands under the name “MR. CLEAN,”, (Multi Center Randomized Clinical Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands), concludes that patients who arrive at an Emergency Department within six hours following onset of symptoms and undergo an intervention have a greater likelihood of survival and maintaining functional independence after three months, compared to those who received intravenous clot-dissolving medicines alone.

Data collected in 500 patients found that removal of the blockage of a major brain artery (a procedure known as a thrombectomy) is the best treatment of a “brain attack” (also known as a stroke).

Baptist Hospital is part of an elite group of facilities in the United States that are certified by The Joint Commission as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, indicating the hospital has the resources, staff and training necessary for the treatment of the most complex stroke cases. Joint Commission accreditation and certification is widely recognized as a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to meeting rigorous performance standards. Baptist Hospital, in partnership with the Baptist Health Neuroscience Center, is the first hospital in South Florida and the second in the state to receive this distinction.