A new imaging centre at the John Radcliffe Hospital carried out its first stroke thrombectomy.
The Acute Multidisciplinary and Interventional Centre (AMIIC) carried out the procedure on 17 May as part of its partnership with Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust.
A thrombectomy is a lifesaving emergency procedure to treat patients with an acute stroke: it involves the removal of the blood clot causing the stroke, thus restoring normal blood flow to the brain.
This is a major milestone for the centre as it opens up to more clinical and research services.
Professor Charalambos Antoniades, AMIIC Director, said: “The joint vision between AMIIC and OUH is to deliver world-class multidisciplinary research and clinical care services, for the benefit of our patients. Today’s milestone is a huge step towards that direction. We are grateful to NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre for their continued support.”
Dr Phil Mathieson, the Clinical Lead for Stroke at OUH said: “We are excited to be able to offer our patients mechanical thrombectomy for stroke in AMIIC. In the last two years, the OUH stroke service have performed over 360 of these procedures which delivers significant benefits to individual patients.
“The rapid increase in thrombectomy means we need to expand our capacity, and we are delighted to partner with AMIIC to help achieve this. I hope and expect this will help improve outcomes for our patients in the region.”