First Thrombectomy Performed on Stroke Patient in Lackawanna County
3/1/2024
Last week, the first emergent cerebral thrombectomy, manually removing a blood clot to restore blood flow to the brain of a stroke patient was successfully performed at Commonwealth Health Regional Hospital of Scranton. Previously, patients in Scranton would have been transferred to another hospital out of the county for this type of stroke intervention.
Mechanical thrombectomy uses minimally invasive technology to physically remove blood clots from the large blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. These large-vessel blood clots produce some of the most severe strokes and are often too large to treat with clot-busting drugs. When performed soon enough after a stroke begins, removing the clot may restore blood flow, save brain cells that would otherwise die, and may reduce the risk of disability and death.
Regional Hospital of Scranton has always set the bar high for stroke care and has consistently been certified as a Primary Stroke Center by The Joint Commission. In a recent expansion of neurosurgical services, Regional Hospital of Scranton along with physicians from Global Neurosciences Institute now offer mechanical thrombectomy services 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The goal is to provide the local community with the highest quality stroke care close to home when seconds count. The hospital is seeing a growing need for high acuity services like neurosurgery as the local population ages.
The investment in these expanded capabilities acknowledges Commonwealth Health's commitment to providing patient-centered collaborative acute neurological and stroke care to Scranton and the surrounding communities.
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