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Winston-Salem, NC, October 24, 2006 Forsyth Medical Center (FMC) is one of the first medical centers in the southeast, and the first in North Carolina, to use a new minimally invasive device to remove blood clots in the brain and reverse damage caused by stroke. The new device called the Penumbra Stroke System uses micro-catheterization and suction techniques to remove blood clots and restore blood flow. FMC is participating in the clinical trials for the new device currently being conducted at only 14 medical centers in the country. Eventually 35 centers world-wide will participate in the trials. Robert D. Ferguson, M.D. and Donald Heck, M.D., neurointerventional radiologists at Forsyth Radiological Associates, are the research team coordinating the clinical trials at FMC.

"Doctors who treat stroke victims now have another tool to work with in reversing the debilitating effects of stroke," says Dr. Ferguson, M.D., who performed the first procedure at FMC. "This device gives us another option for removing clots in high-risk patients who may not be candidates for other types of treatment."

According to Dr. Ferguson, the new procedure involves inserting a micro-catheter through a small needle puncture made in the groin area. Using X-ray guidance, the catheter is maneuvered to the site of the clot in the brain where doctors use the Penumbra device to dislodge and remove the clot. One of the benefits of this new procedure is it can be used effectively up to eight hours after the onset of stroke lengthening the 'treatment window' for stroke victims.

"In our first procedure at FMC, we treated a patient five hours after the onset of stroke which was slightly beyond the recommended timeframe for the use of drug therapy," says Dr. Ferguson. "We were able to insert the device and remove the clot within 40 minutes after the patient arrived in the angiography suite at the FMC emergency department."

"This was a very severe stroke and a high risk for any type of interventional treatment," he says. "However, the day following the procedure the patient, who had been paralyzed and unable to speak, was sitting up in bed talking with his family and moving his arms and legs. We are very pleased with the effectiveness of this new treatment with this patient."

Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the leading cause of disability. Each year in the U.S. alone, over 700,000 people suffer from a stroke. Clinical signs consistent with acute ischemic stroke include sudden numbness or weakness in the face or extremities, sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech, sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance.

Forsyth Medical Center was the first medical center in North Carolina to receive Primary Stroke Care Certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation's predominant standards-setting and accrediting body in health care. Forsyth Stroke and Neurovascular Center routinely conducts clinical trials designed to pioneer and refine new diagnostic methods and interventional treatments.

For more details about this procedure or to speak to a medical expert at Forsyth, please call Forsyth's media phone at 336-718-4050.