A relatively new surgical technology for stroke patients, known as the Artemis Neuro Evacuation Device, has been available for the last four to five years – and Hartford Hospital is the first hospital in the Hartford region to offer it to patients who suffer from hemorrhagic strokes.
Dr. Inam Kureshi, a neurosurgeon and chief of neurosurgery at Hartford Hospital, completed training on the technology last June at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York.
“This is the future of hemorrhagic stroke treatment and the first surgical treatment available to this population of stroke patients,” said Kureshi, who has performed several procedures using the new device since it was introduced at Hartford Hospital in November.
The technology gives physicians the ability to remove blood clots from the brain that could not be removed before, or without an open craniotomy procedure. The surgery is minimally invasive, meaning there’s less pain and discomfort associated with it.
There are nearly 800,000 strokes every year. While most strokes are the ischemic type, where a blood clot blocks blood flow to the brain, a hemorrhagic stroke is a type of stroke in which the clot bursts and causes bleeding inside the brain.
By removing the clot with the assistance of the suction device, the pressure inside a patient’s brain is reduced immediately. This allows the brain to recover faster and prevents future swelling.
“In the past, surgery was rarely an option for these patients, but now if a patient is the right candidate, we have a procedure to help them,” said Kureshi.
Last year Hartford Hospital earned recertification as a Comprehensive Stroke Center and was also recognized for superior stroke care and gold-level achievement by the American Heart Association. To learn more, click here.