Westchester Medical Center Endovascular Neurosurgeon is First in New York State to Use New Stroke Treatment Device

Solitaire Revascularization Device just recently approved by the FDA for use in acute stroke patients—device allows for more rapid opening of occluded vessels

VALHALLA, N.Y., March 26, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Neurosurgeons at WMC reported that they are the first in the State to use the new Solitaire Revascularization Device for acute ischemic stroke since its approval by the FDA in early March.  In clinical trials it was found that the use of the Solitaire—which the FDA just approved for use, led to better survival three months after a stroke.

Dr. Michael F. Stiefel, M.D., PhD, Director of Cerebrovascular and Endovascular Neurosurgery and the Associate Director of the Stroke Center at Westchester Medical Center said, "This is a brand new stroke treatment technology.  The new device is more effective in opening occluded blood vessels and restoring blood flow to the brain."

Rapid opening of the occluded blood vessel and effective removal of a clot in a stroke victim is paramount in maximizing a patient's chances of recovery from a stroke.  Early recognition of a stroke coupled with clot busting drugs and minimally invasive endovascular procedures are changing the way surgeons across the country are treating strokes.  "Just a few short years ago, a stroke would have meant long term disability or death.  Until recently, endovascular treatment was not an option and we were limited to only intravenous treatment within a three hour window. Today we are able to open blood vessels in the brain well beyond that three hour window, up to 8 hours.  Now we also have a new tool in our arsenal that studies have shown is faster at opening them, and with stroke… TIME IS BRAIN," Dr. Stiefel added.

Results from the Solitaire with the intention for thrombectomy (SWIFT) study show that the Solitaire Revascularization Device opened blocked vessels without causing symptomatic bleeding in or around the brain in 61% of patients, compared to 24% of cases performed with another FDA-approved retrieval system.

The study further indicated that the use of the Solitaire also led to better survival three months after a stroke. There was a 17.2% mortality rate with the new device, compared with a 38.2% rate with older retrievers.

Westchester Medical Center offers Comprehensive Stroke and Cerebrovascular care, providing emergency stroke and neurovascular services 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week for the Hudson Valley and beyond.  Westchester Medical Center is a primary referral center for the treatment of aneurysms, strokes and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) as well as many other cerebrovascular and neurovascular conditions and is committed to providing our patients with the highest lever of advanced care and cutting edge technology available.  We are committed to providing the highest level of care and offer the most advanced technology to our patients.

About Westchester Medical Center
Spanning every adult and pediatric medical specialty, Westchester Medical Center serves as a lifeline to the more than 3.5 million people in the Hudson Valley region and beyond.  Well-known for its advanced medical care in trauma and burn, heart, cancer, transplant, neuroscience and pediatrics, community hospitals within a 5,000-square-mile range send their most difficult cases to this advanced-care, academic medical center.  With more than 900 attending physicians and 3,300 healthcare professionals, Westchester Medical Center is the only facility capable of providing immediate lifesaving advanced care between New York City and Albany.

SOURCE Westchester Medical Center