Sep 11 2009
Edward Hospital announced today that it has established the Edward Neurosciences Institute in affiliation with the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation to bring the highest level of stroke care in the world to the west and southwest suburbs of Chicago.
The new Edward Neurosciences Institute will feature the most advanced drug therapies and interventional neurosurgery techniques to treat strokes, the third leading cause of death in the U.S., along with other neurological disorders.
To meet the needs of the patients who'll be treated by the Neurosciences Institute, Edward has constructed a state-of-the-art neurointerventional suite featuring a biplane angiography system that provides dramatic image quality for physicians and, for patients, reduces their procedure time, radiation exposure and time under anesthesia.
"In the new biplane lab we can stop a stroke in its tracks and even reverse its effects," says Jeffrey Miller, MD, Medical Director of the Edward Neurosciences Institute, member of the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation and one of only 300 neurointerventionalists in the U.S. "In one minimally invasive procedure, we can maneuver a tiny catheter from an artery in the patient's leg, past the heart and into the blood vessels in the far reaches of the brain, grab the clot and then remove it. We'll also be able to effectively treat a wide variety of other neurological disorders including aneurysms and brain tumors."
"Our Heart Hospital and stroke capabilities have always been superb," says Pam Davis, Edward Hospital President and CEO. "This partnership builds on our expertise and means that patients in this region can get world class treatment close to home, close to their family and friends."
The Joint Commission has designated Edward as a Stroke Center of Excellence and one of 17 Primary Stroke Centers in the Chicago area. In addition, Edward has been recognized by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association's Get With the Guidelines(SM) program for achievement in cardiac and stroke patient care.
Physicians of the Edward Neurosciences Institute will also treat the full range of neurological diseases, including aneurysms, brain tumors, intracranial atherosclerotic disease (ICAD), arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) and vascular trauma of the brain, neck and spine.
The bottom line, according to Dr. Miller: "There's no neurological condition we can't manage, so there's no need to go anywhere else."
"Edward has well established and well respected cardiovascular and neurology programs," says H. Hunt Batjer, MD, FACS, a world-renowned neurosurgeon, now Program Director of the Edward Neurosciences Institute as well as Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern Memorial Hospital and the Michael J. Marchese Professor of Neurosurgery and Chairman of the Department of Neurological Surgery at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine. He is also past President of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Society of University Neurosurgeons and past Chair of the American Board of Neurological Surgery. He is currently Vice President of the Neurosurgical Society of America.
Dr. Batjer adds, "This collaboration has created a new Institute which will move quickly toward the highest level of care across the clinical neurosciences and with a focus in cerebrovascular disease that will advance Edward toward comprehensive stroke center status."
Edward already offers stroke treatments, such as the clot-busting drug tPA, that have been shown to be effective up to seven hours after the start of symptoms. At the Edward Neurosciences Institute, physicians will be able to utilize the biplane technology to extend the treatment window up to eight hours in order to stop a stroke and reverse its effects.
Used in conjunction with the imaging benefits of the biplane system, the Merci Retrieval and Penumbra devices are two state-of-the-art, minimally invasive options available to physicians to treat ischemic strokes, the most common of all strokes, that cause a disruption of blood flow to the brain.
As part of its new affiliation agreement with Edward, the Northwestern Medical Faculty Foundation will provide the Edward Neurosciences Institute full-time neurointerventionalists, medical director leadership and 24/7 on-call coverage in concert with other independent neurosurgeons on Edward's medical staff.
www.edward.org/neuro
Research highlights importance of quality improvement programs in stroke care