Trenton Hospital Becomes First in the Nation to Use Experimental Stroke Treatment Device
Capital Health Regional Medical Center of Trenton became the first hospital in the country to employ Trevo 2, a device used to remove blood clots from stroke patients, in early March.
“With a time critical disease like stroke, patients need treatment fast and having a broad range of treatment options available is essential to providing patients with the best chance at surviving and limiting associated disabilities,” said director of neurosciences and endovascular & cerebrovascular neurosurgery at Capital Health, Dr. Erol Veznedaroglu.
Trevo 2 is a half-inch long cylinder made of mesh and is inserted through an incision in the groin. A small tube called a microcatheter is then run through to the femoral artery to the clot site where the device is then pushed into the affected blood vessel where it grabs the clot and pulls it back out of the body.
The procedure, called a “mechanical thrombectomy,” takes about 30 minutes to perform. One of the benefits of the Trevo 2 is that it allows blood flow to be restored to the area sooner than other, older devices. Also the risk of the accidental puncturing of a blood vessel is reduced compared with the Trevo 2’s predecessors.
Upon the arrival of Veznedaroglu and his partner, Dr. Kenneth Liebman two years ago, Capital Health began an expansion of its neurosurgery unit. Capital Health has since undertaken the goal of becoming the top hospital in the region for stroke treatment by establishing the Center for Neurologic Emergency Medicine and the Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center of New Jersey.
Capital Health’s leadership in stroke treatment will not only benefit the company, but also the residents of Central Jersey, said Veznedaroglu.
“Nobody was getting this kind of care in the state,” he said. “If this is you or your mom or your dad, you don’t want them getting packaged off to Philadelphia or New York (for treatment of a stroke), you want them to be able to go to a place that’s five minutes away.”
