NEWPORT BEACH, CALIF., May 27, 2020 --- Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian recently became the first hospital on the West Coast to perform an innovative robotic surgery with the goal of relieving a blockage in the carotid artery and improving blood flow to the brain.

Christopher Baker, M.D, director of Interventional Neuroradiology at the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute at Hoag, implanted the stent using a new robotic tool, the CorPath^® GRX from Corindus, a Siemens Healthineers Company. The robot helps physicians guide a wire, stent and balloon through a small incision in the patient’s arm or leg, and up into the patient’s neck artery to place the stent precisely at the site of blockage. This exact placement of the stent also allows less exposure to radiation for both the patient and the physician.

“CorPath is remarkable because I am able to perform a high precision, complex surgery while not being next to the patient,” Dr. Baker said. “The use of this technology means a safer, more precise surgery for the patient.”

Thanks to donor support, Hoag’s Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute is the first site on the West Coast to perform robotic-assisted carotid stenting. Currently, robots are only FDA cleared for use in certain general surgery procedures and in peripheral vascular and interventional cardiology procedures. Dr. Baker said the tool will likely also prove invaluable in neuroendovascular procedures. “Carotid stenting has been around for many years, but the really exciting part is the new ability to improve patient safety through precise control of the micro-tools we use in the arteries supplying the patient’s brain.”

As a founding member of Orange County’s designated Comprehensive Stroke Receiving Centers, Hoag’s Neurosciences team helped pioneer many of the advanced processes and specialized methods to optimize outcomes for stroke patients including prevention and reversal of acute stroke.

Hoag has also been designated a Center of Excellence in Robotic Surgery (COERS) by the

Surgical Review Corporation, which recognizes hospitals and surgeons who demonstrate an exceptional commitment and ability to consistently deliver safe, effective, evidence-based care through robotic surgery.

“We are excited to be one of the first to offer this innovative robotic tool to help treat patients with significant carotid artery stenosis,” Dr. Baker said. “One cannot overstate how precision robotic-assisted tools improve outcomes and speed recovery for patients undergoing complex, very delicate surgeries and help us save more lives.”

ABOUT PICKUP FAMILY NEUROSCIENCES INSTITUTE

Compassionate Care, Clinical Excellence, and Creative Intelligence.

Delivering a personalized, integrated approach using best-practice guidelines, the most advanced technology, and integration of medical specialists in the most appropriate facilities, the Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute (PFNI) at Hoag provides world class care for patients with specific conditions of the brain and spine such as stroke, aneurysms and vascular malformations, brain tumors, epilepsy, movement disorders, memory and cognitive disorders, pain, minimally invasive spine surgery, multiple sclerosis, addiction medicine and sleep disorders, as well as the mind-body interface of behavioral health. Many of Hoag’s PFNI programs have received high acclaim, including the stroke program, which was the in Orange County and the second in California to be named a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center by DNV GL Healthcare. It was awarded the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Performance Achievement for stroke care. And as one of the first centers in the U.S. to offer the most advanced radiosurgical treatment system available, Leksell Gamma Knife^® Perfexion™, the PFNI brain tumor program is the largest in Orange County and is also among the top volume programs in the western United States. Hoag has been recognized as a designated Level 4 Comprehensive Epilepsy Center by the National Association of Epilepsy Centers. The PFNI’s memory and cognitive disorders program is nationally recognized.

ABOUT HOAG MEMORIAL HOSPITAL PRESBYTERIAN

Hoag is a nonprofit, regional health care delivery network in Orange County, California, that treats more than 30,000 inpatients and 480,000 outpatients annually. Hoag consists of two acute-care hospitals – Hoag Hospital Newport Beach, which opened in 1952, and Hoag Hospital Irvine, which opened in 2010 – in addition to nine health centers and 13 urgent care centers. Hoag has invested $261 million in programs and services to support the underserved community within the past five years, including areas like mental health, homelessness, transportation for seniors, education, and support for single mothers. Hoag is a designated Magnet^® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Hoag offers a comprehensive blend of health care services that includes five institutes providing specialized services in the following areas: cancer, heart and vascular, neurosciences, women’s health, digestive disorders and orthopedics through Hoag’s affiliate, Hoag Orthopedic Institute, which consists of an orthopedic hospital and two ambulatory surgical centers. Hoag has been named one of the Best Regional Hospitals in the 2019 - 2020 U.S. News & World Report. For an unprecedented 23 years, residents of Orange County have chosen Hoag as one of the county’s best hospitals in a local newspaper survey. Visit www.hoag.org for more information.

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