St George’s made official centre for innovative stroke procedure
St George’s has been confirmed as a designated centre for the use of an innovative new treatment for stroke patients.
Last week, NHS England confirmed that St George’s is now a designated centre for the use of mechanical thrombectomy.
Mechanical thrombectomy is a surgical procedure used to save the lives of patients in the immediate aftermath of stroke.
It involves our interventional neuro-radiology team threading a catheter through an artery in the patients’ groin and up through the neck, until it reaches the blood clot causing the stroke.
Doctors then use X-ray imaging to enable removal of the clot using suction or a stent retriever.
The treatment has been provided 24/7 at the Trust for the past year, and was the subject of media headlines last year when our teams pioneered the procedure for emergency patients.
NHS England’s confirmation last week that St George’s is now a designated centre for the procedure is positive news, and reflects the huge amount of work that has gone into establishing the service at the Trust.
Gill Cluckie, Consultant Nurse for Stroke at St George’s, said: “This is fantastic news, and confirmation of the excellent service we have built up here at the Trust.”
“It is a truly multi-disciplinary service, and we are grateful for the support of teams across the Trust in making this possible.”
“The service we’ve established is a model for others to follow, and we are working with other hospitals looking to establish like for like services.”
Jacqueline Totterdell, Chief Executive, said: “I’d like to say a huge well done to the many of you involved in establishing and delivering this vital service for stroke patients.”
“This is a fantastic example of you leading the way in developing new services for patients, that others are looking to replicate – really great news.”
Notes to editors
For more information, please contact Pippa Harper, Media Manager, on philippa.harper@stgeorges.nhs.uk or 020 8266 6128.
