Vascular Neurosurgery, Minus the Hospital Stay

Marking a paradigm shift in how complex neurovascular interventions can be safely delivered, a team of UB neurosurgeons performed a carotid artery stenting procedure at an ambulatory surgery center. The patient was discharged the same day.

“This isn’t just a case; it’s a proof of concept that the future of vascular neurosurgery is outpatient,” says Elad Levy, SUNY Distinguished Professor and L. Nelson Hopkins Chair of Neurosurgery in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences.

Each year, more than 100,000 patients who have experienced a stroke or a transient ischemic attack, also known as a ministroke, undergo a carotid artery stenting procedure to increase blood flow to their brain, which typically involves an overnight stay in a hospital.

But there are advantages to moving patient procedures out of the hospital. Outpatient care is more flexible and convenient, and results in significant cost savings. In addition, patients often recover more quickly when they are at home.

Levy and his colleagues found innovative ways to make the out- patient setting possible.

“We’ve reengineered the environment, including imaging, anesthesia, workflow and recovery,” he explains. “Now, patients can receive lifesaving stroke-preventive vascular procedures in a same-day setting, with hospital-level precision in the hands of neurosurgeons who understand both the brain and the vessel.”