The device is called a balloon-assisted remote access catheter (BDAC) and was developed to quickly remove a blood clot in 10 minutes, reversing stroke symptoms and preventing brain damage. Wilene Leyen, 59, of Clifford, Ont., was the first patient to successfully undergo the procedure at University Hospital on June 24, after her first stroke. “It was an awful experience, but I’m glad to be alive and kicking,” she said. Leyen was treated by LHSC interventional neuroradiologist Dr. Michael Mayich, and his team, who perform more than 200 emergency stroke procedures each year. Identifying strokes and acting quickly is imperative, he said.
“When you have a blockage in a vessel, up to 2 million brain cells are lost every minute, so seconds really count,” Mayich said. “This device allows us to work from inside a vessel through a minimally invasive technique and go up to the vessel that is blocked and remove the blockage, allowing blood to flow back to the affected part of the brain and reversing the brain damage.” In Leyen’s case, the BDAC was used by making a tiny incision in the right hip. In less than 10 minutes, blood flow was restored to the brain, and her movement and speech were restored almost immediately, Mayich said.

New medical device removes blood clots in stroke patients in minutes

Dr Michael Mayich at University Hospitals Health Sciences Center London explains how a new medical device from Vena Medical is used to remove blood clots in the brain that cause stroke and reverse these symptoms.

“The procedure gave me my life back”

Wilene Leyen is thankful that she was able to get her life back after undergoing the procedure with BDAC. (Isha Bhargava/CBC News) Mayich says symptoms of a stroke or blockage can manifest as weakness in the face, arm, speech problems and sometimes problems with vision. Unless a blockage is opened and oxygenated blood is allowed to flow back to the affected area of ​​the brain, these same problems will turn from temporary to permanent. That procedure gave Leyen her life back, she said. Leyen, who was in the process of renovating her home the day she had the stroke, says she has led a very busy and active life. “I basically got up to get a drink of water and sat on the couch and then I slipped on the floor and stayed there for about 4 hours,” she said. “I called my son and he took me to the hospital.” BDAC, which combines features from existing devices into a single device, uses a balloon to temporarily stop blood flow in a vessel while suction is applied to remove clots, restoring blood flow to the threatened part of the vessel. brain. The medical device was developed by Kitchener-Waterloo-based Vena Medical. The company’s CEO, Michael Phillips, said his team was originally working to solve a different problem when they discovered that BDAC might be useful for stroke patients. “It was very exciting and very stressful at the same time, but I was happy that we got it done and treated the first patient, and the fact that she’s doing so well is absolutely incredible,” Phillips said. Michael Phillips is the co-founder and CEO of Kitchener-Waterloo-based Vena Medical (Isha Bhargava/CBC News) The importance of stroke recovery and living a normal life is very important to Phillips, who grew up with a grandfather living with the permanent effects of a stroke. “She was in a wheelchair and she couldn’t talk, and this was before this technology, but now seeing that Wilene is able to have such a good relationship with her grandchildren and they might not even know that she had a stroke, that it’s absolutely incredible and it’s hugely rewarding for us and really brings things full circle.” Although Leyen lives with some lasting effects, such as delayed speech and frequent fatigue, she is able to return to the life she lived before the stroke.
“I’m walking and talking and getting on with life, I’m not confined to a wheelchair, I’m not struggling to find words, I’m surviving very nicely,” she said. BDAC has been used in other hospitals across the country, including Ottawa and Edmonton. Phillips’ team will continue to bring it to more Canadian hospitals and eventually expand internationally. “This is cutting-edge technology that would normally have to be launched somewhere far away from here, but we’re excited to make an impact locally before we make an impact globally.”