Syracuse, NY | July 2012
UPSTATE DEPLOYS GAME-CHANGING STROKE TREATMENT wo weeks after an acute ischemic stroke, Ronald Eckert, 64, of Manlius was running errands like nothing had ever happened — and he had Upstate’s neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists and the new Solitaire FR revascularization device to thank.
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Upstate University Hospital is the first hospital in Central New York to use the Solitaire stent, which has shown dramatic improvements in the treatment of stroke. It provides physicians like Eric Deshaies MD with the ability to restore blood flow and retrieve clots in patients with acute ischemic stroke. “This is a game-changing device when it comes to treatment of stroke,” Deshaies said. “There are fewer complications with this device as we are able to remove the blood clot much easier compared to other devices, and the outcomes we have seen in our patients with the Solitaire stent have been dramatic.” Neuroradiologist Amar Swarnkar MD
Upstate Neurosurgeon Eric Deshaies MD
Deshaies, a neurosurgeon, has completed cerebrovascular and neuroendovascular fellowships. A recent clinical study showed that patients treated with the Solitaire had higher rates of neurological function and reduced death from stroke three months after the procedure, compared to patients treated with an alternate device. The device recently was approved by the Food and Drug Administration, and Deshaies performed the first clot retrieval procedure using the device in the region in March. Eckert had his stroke April 13. To retrieve the blood clot, a physician threads a catheter through the patient’s blood vessels to the blocked artery in the brain. A mesh stent, deployed through the catheter, grabs the clot, which is then removed from the artery, enabling blood flow to resume. continued on pg. A2
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