Central Baptist Hospital a Top Performer in CREST Study

    LEXINGTON, Ky., May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Central Baptist
 Hospital (CBH) is making a significant contribution to clinical research on
 the prevention of strokes. CBH ranks second in the overall number of
 participants recruited for the Carotid Revascularization Endarterectomy vs.
 Stenting Trial (CREST).
     Sponsored by the National Institute of Stroke and Neurological
 Disorders (NINDS) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the
 University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), CREST is a
 randomized clinical trial to compare carotid endarterectomy -- a common
 operation to treat a blockage, or narrowing, of the carotid artery -- with
 the study procedure, carotid artery stenting. The trial compares the
 effectiveness of both procedures in preventing stroke, heart attack and
 death during the 30-day period immediately following either procedure.
 Multiyear follow-up of individuals who are enrolled in the study also will
 document the incidence of stroke on the same side of the brain as the
 carotid artery that received the treatment.
     Of the 120 hospitals throughout the United States and Canada recruiting
 for the CREST study, Central Baptist Hospital ranks second (as of December
 31, 2006) in the overall number of participants recruited for CREST since
 July 2003, when the hospital was approved as a recruiting site. CBH also is
 tied for second place for the number of CREST participants recruited in
 2006.
     The CBH multidisciplinary team working on CREST includes Dr. William
 Brooks, neurosurgeon; Dr. Michael Jones, cardiologist; Dr. Timothy Coleman,
 neurologist; Dr. David Kelley, neurologist; Linda Breathitt, a registered
 nurse who is the primary research coordinator for the project; and Caroline
 Rodgers, a registered nurse who is a research coordinator for the project.
 
 

SOURCE Central Baptist Hospital