MOUNTAIN VIEW, Calif., Dec. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- El Camino Hospital is one of a handful of sites in the United States participating in national carotid artery stent clinical studies and will be one of only 16 sites selected to serve as a carotid stent training center once the procedure is FDA approved in 2004. It is the latest technique to help open clogged carotid arteries and prevent blockages from recurring.
“According to the American Stroke Association, every 45 seconds someone in America has a stroke; about 700,000 Americans will have one this year. It’s our nation’s number three killer and leading cause of severe, long-term disability,” says Dr. James Joye, Director of Cardiac Catheterization Labs at El Camino Hospital, in Mountain View, CA. “We’re on the verge of approval for a procedure that cuts risks in half.”
Located on either side of the neck, carotid arteries serve as the primary conduit for blood flow to the brain. Over time, the carotid arteries can become lined with fatty deposits, called plaque, causing the artery to narrow in a condition called “stenosis.” A person with stenosis is more likely to have a stroke caused by a clot blocking an artery in the brain.
Carotid artery stenting is currently being investigated as an alternative treatment to a common neck surgery called carotid endarterectomy. This surgery is performed under general anesthesia where doctors make a two-inch incision in the neck and scrape away the plaques in the carotid arteries. Many patients, particularly those who have had a prior heart attack, emphysema or have low tolerance to anesthesia are poor candidates for the surgery.
Carotid stenting is a less invasive percutaneous procedure for “stenosis” in which a stent -- an expandable mesh tube -- is placed into the artery to keep it propped open. The goal of the procedure is the prevention of stroke, which occurs when the lack of blood flow and oxygen to the brain results in a sudden loss of brain function.
“Preliminary data from the clinical trials is clearly in favor of stenting in patients who are at high-risk of stroke,” says Dr. Joye. “It is a 20-minute procedure and typically patients are released from the hospital after an overnight stay.”
El Camino Hospital was chosen for the studies because it has high-volume interventional cardiology programs with good outcomes and a physician -- Dr. Joye -- who was qualified to do the procedure based on experience in angioplasty techniques. The hospital is already a training site for physicians from other hospitals who want to expand their skills to include the stent procedure in other areas of the body. El Camino Hospital has been participating in carotid stent procedures for over four years.
Dr. Joye chose to practice at El Camino Hospital in Silicon Valley because the hospital encourages and supports his participation in clinical trials, his own development of new medical devices and the use of existing devices for new purposes. “We don’t have to go through a lot of red-tape here,” said Dr. Joye. “At El Camino, we can be helping patients with a new procedure by the time most folks are getting a trial started.”
About El Camino Hospital
El Camino Hospital, a not-for-profit hospital in Mountain View, Calif., is located on a 41-acre campus in the heart of Silicon Valley. Consistently ranked as a leading hospital in the area, El Camino Hospital recently received a prestigious three-star ranking in the Patients’ Evaluation of Performance in California survey. The hospital has received national recognition for several pioneering programs, including cardiac treatments, radiation oncology, and maternity. For more than 42 years, its high caliber staff and affiliated physicians, its comprehensive and innovative services, and its long history of responding to the needs of the community it serves have distinguished El Camino Hospital.
About Dr. Joye
James D. Joye, D.O., FACC is Director, Peripheral Vascular Interventions, The Cardiovascular Institute, and Director, Cardiac Catheterization Labs, El Camino Hospital, Mountain View, California. He is internationally recognized for research in coronary physiology as well as coronary and peripheral vascular device development. He developed the concept of CryoPlasty and is cofounder and medical director of CryoVascular Systems, Inc.
Dr. Joye received his Bachelor of Science degree in Biology at Westminster College, New Wilmington, Pennsylvania in 1984 and Doctor of Osteopathy degree at Ohio University College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1988. Following internship at Doctor’s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio, Dr. Joye completed his residency in Internal Medicine and a Cardiology Fellowship at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, serving as Chief Cardiology Fellow from 1994 to 1995. He is board certified in medicine, cardiology and interventional cardiology. A frequent invited lecturer, Dr. Joye has also chaired numerous educational programs on topics in peripheral intervention. He is the recipient of several research grants and holds six patents.
El Camino Hospital
CONTACT: Judy Twitchell of El Camino Hospital, +1-650-988-7767; orKelly Krueger of Publicis Dialog, +1-415-445-2013, orKelly.krueger@publicis-usa.com, for El Camino Hospital