AdventHealth brings advanced stroke treatment to Pasco

When a severe stroke strikes, every minute without blood flow can mean the loss of brain cells. And that leads to the even greater risk of lasting disability.

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel is adding technology that hospital leaders say will allow doctors to remove blood clots from patients’ brains without open surgery — bringing a critical form of emergency stroke treatment to patients in Pasco County.

The hospital will unveil its new biplane neurointerventional suite Monday, giving doctors, first responders and community leaders a first look at the technology. The suite is designed for minimally invasive procedures involving blood vessels in the brain.

Among them is mechanical thrombectomy, in which a specialist guides a thin catheter through a patient’s blood vessels to reach and remove a clot blocking blood flow to the brain. The treatment is used for certain severe ischemic strokes and, when performed quickly, can improve a patient’s chance of recovery and reduce the risk of long-term disability.

“Time is brain,” Dr. Jason Maljaar, the hospital’s medical director of neurology, says in a release. “When blood flow to the brain is blocked, brain cells begin to die within minutes. Having the ability to provide advanced stroke intervention on our campus means patients can receive critical treatment faster, which can lead to better outcomes and improved recovery."

Until now, some Pasco County patients needing that level of intervention had to be transferred elsewhere, delaying treatment and taking them farther from their families, the release says. AdventHealth said the new suite, combined with the addition of specialized neurointerventional physicians, will allow more patients to receive care at its Wesley Chapel campus, at 2600 Bruce B. Downs Blvd.

The hospital did not disclose the cost of the suite.

Beyond stroke care, AdventHealth Wesley Chapel plans to use the suite to treat brain aneurysms, perform diagnostic cerebral angiograms and provide other emergency and elective neurovascular procedures.

The technology can also be used for middle meningeal artery embolization, a minimally invasive treatment for certain patients with chronic subdural hematomas — collections of blood between the brain and its outer covering.

More than 80,000 Floridians were hospitalized because of strokes in 2023, according to the Florida Department of Health. Stroke remains a leading cause of death and disability nationally.

AdventHealth Wesley Chapel is currently designated a Primary Stroke Center. The expanded services are part of its effort to pursue Comprehensive Stroke Center designation, which is reserved for hospitals equipped to treat more complex stroke cases.

“This is an exciting step forward for our hospital and the communities we serve,” Maljaar says in the release. “We’re now able to offer the highest level of stroke care available, including the interventions needed to restore blood flow to the brain, right here at Wesley Chapel.”