Dr. Norman Ajiboye

Miami, Florida (September 14th, 2023) –  Just a decade ago, the diagnosis of a stroke caused by a blood clot obstructing a major brain vessel was often synonymous with a grim prognosis. With each passing minute, approximately 1.9 million brain cells would succumb to the lack of optimal blood flow, leading to devastating consequences. However, the landscape of stroke treatment has been radically transformed through remarkable technological advances, cutting-edge medical devices, and rigorous physician training. A medical breakthrough known as “endovascular thrombectomy” is now defying the odds and saving lives, one patient at a time.

Endovascular thrombectomy is a revolutionary, minimally invasive procedure that utilizes an aspiration catheter and a stent retriever attached to a flexible wire. These devices are skillfully navigated through a patient’s hand or leg to the site of the blood clot within the brain, thereby expertly removing it. “This procedure is unequivocally the most significant advancement in medical science over the last two decades. Its success relies on speed and meticulous coordination at all levels from the initial recognition of stroke symptoms and the activation of emergency medical services to the ultimate restoration of crucial blood flow to the brain,” states Dr. Norman Ajiboye, a Neurointerventional surgeon at Memorial Healthcare System in South Florida.

   Upon arrival at the hospital, the patient undergoes immediate evaluation by an emergency room physician. Brain imaging is swiftly obtained, and a collaborative decision-making process unfolds, involving neurologists, neurointerventionalists, and other specialists to determine whether the patient requires clot-busting medications and/or endovascular thrombectomy.

The Heroes Behind the Scenes: Neurologists, neurosurgeons, interventional neuroradiologists or neurointerventional surgeons like Dr. Ajiboye, possess the remarkable ability to extract blood clots from the brain without invasive cranial procedures. This groundbreaking technique facilitates the rapid restoration of blood flow to the brain. Astonishingly, in a significant percentage of cases, patients can regain their pre-stroke condition, sometimes without any permanent disability.

“Education is paramount in this life-saving mission. We must empower our communities with knowledge about recognizing stroke symptoms early and the crucial importance of activating emergency services. This swift response enables rapid patient transportation to the hospital, and, in some cases, emergency personnel can pre-alert the hospital of an impending stroke case,” says Dr. Ajiboye.

The American Heart Association reports that every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. Studies have shown that endovascular thrombectomy can significantly improve outcomes for patients with large vessel occlusion strokes. In selected cases, endovascular thrombectomy has been shown to achieve up to a 90% success rate in clot removal. Early intervention with endovascular thrombectomy can lead to reduced disability and an improved quality of life for stroke survivors.

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About Memorial Global Health:

Memorial Global Health provides personalized coordination of specialized and emergency medical services for adult and pediatric international patients. Memorial Healthcare System offers premier clinical expertise throughout their six hospitals including Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, exclusively dedicated to the care of children.  For more than 60 years, the physicians, nurses, specialists and healthcare professionals at Memorial have placed patients and their families at the heart of everything they do. The skilled team at Memorial offers patient-and-family-centered care by partnering with patients and their families.

About Memorial Healthcare System: 

Memorial Healthcare System is one of the largest public healthcare systems in the United States and has served South Florida since 1953. Since, the South Florida community has benefited from compassionate healthcare delivered according to the service vision of Deeper Caring, Smarter Healthcare. Memorial has six hospitals and more than 150 employed physicians, who compose the Memorial Physician Group, a nursing home, home health services, research, and primary and urgent care centers and the South Broward Community Health Services.  In 2013, Memorial Health Network led the way in putting the clinically integrated healthcare delivery model into action. By expanding on this new framework, Memorial will continue to improve the quality, efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the services they proudly provide.