Lancaster General Hospital is the first and only hospital in Lancaster County to provide mechanical thrombectomy, an advanced stroke treatment that involves physically removing large blood clots. Until now, stroke patients needing interventional care due to a large clot would need to be transported to a hospital out of the county to receive interventional treatment.
About 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. For many patients, a stroke-causing blood clot can be treated with clot-busting medication called tPA. However, for the segment of strokes caused by a large blood clot, an advanced interventional procedure is required.
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Lancaster General Hospital’s mechanical thrombectomy team
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Mechanical thrombectomy – which was featured in a recent LNP story -- is a stroke procedure in which a large blood clot is removed with a wire-caged device, called a stent retriever. First, a catheter is threaded through an artery in the groin, leading up to the blood clot in the brain. Then a stent retriever is inserted into the catheter to remove the clot blockage, restoring blood flow.
Click here to watch a short video that shows how mechanical thrombectomy works.
“Strokes caused by a large blood clot are especially dangerous, as they have the greatest chance for resulting in long-term disability or death,” said Ram Chavali, MD, Medical Director, Endovascular Stroke Intervention. “To offer this advanced procedure at Lancaster General Hospital means higher-risk stroke patients will have access to timely, higher-quality care right here in Lancaster.”