BOCA RATON, FL – December 16, 2019 – Boca Raton Regional Hospital (BRRH), part of Baptist Health South Florida,
is the first hospital in Palm Beach County to launch a long-term monitoring
program for cryptogenic stroke patients to help reduce their risk of a
secondary stroke. The multidisciplinary stroke team at the Marcus Neuroscience
Institute (MNI) offers the option to insert a small implantable cardiac
monitor to continuously monitor heart activity to capture abnormal heartbeats
and rhythms, which often go undetected and can increase stroke risk significantly.
This data is relayed quickly to specialty cardiac physicians so that they
can promptly initiate treatment when required.
The Cryptogenic Stroke Pathway program utilizes the Reveal LINQ system
that includes a cardiac monitor and bedside transmitter to relay critical
information to electrophysiologists at BRRH. The monitor analyzes heart
data for any signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), irregular or rapid heartbeats.
The device is implanted using a minimally-invasive procedure to avoid
infection, reduce scarring and avoid any other medical complications.
The system allows patients to continue their everyday activities without
any interference for up to three years.
“Patients that have suffered cryptogenic stroke often have undiagnosed
atrial fibrillation or other cardiac complications months after being
discharged from a hospital. Traditional programs typically end weeks or
even days after the initial stroke,” said Brian Snelling, M.D.,
medical director of the Marilyn & Stanley Barry Center for Cerebrovascular
Disease & Stroke at MNI. “The Reveal LINQ system is enabling
us to detect heart disturbances on a long-term basis to facilitate proactive
treatment when needed.”
One of the first patients in the Cryptogenic Stroke Pathway program credits
his life to the Reveal LINQ system. The patient, Mohammed Elfadel, came
to MNI in July 2018 with a life-threatening large vessel occlusion stroke
without a known cause. He received mechanical thrombectomy and was implanted
with the Reveal LINQ cardiac monitor prior to discharge. Nearly one year
later, the MNI electrophysiologist team detected Afib in Mohammed which
required him to immediately switch medications.
MNI has maintained a 100% stroke pathway percentage since the implementation
of the Reveal LINQ.
Many hospitals have protocol for patients who have experienced an ischemic
stroke, only a select few implemented a long-term monitoring program designed
specifically to cryptogenic stroke.
About the Marcus Neuroscience Institute
The Marcus Neuroscience Institute at Boca Raton Regional Hospital is an
innovative nexus for neurologic and neurosurgical care. The 57,000-square-foot
facility houses a 20-bed Neuro Intensive Care and Step-Down Unit, four
dedicated operating rooms — including one equipped with intraoperative
MRI and two with intraoperative CT capability — and a biplane angiography
suite, a crucial component in the diagnosis and care of neurological conditions.
The Institute has a staff of five neurosurgeons and eight neurologists
who represent some of the most respected clinicians in their fields and
is affiliated with Florida Atlantic University’s Charles E. Schmidt
College of Medicine.
About Boca Raton Regional Hospital
Boca Raton Regional Hospital is part of Baptist Health South Florida,
the largest healthcare organization in the region, with 11 hospitals,
nearly 23,000 employees, more than 4,000 physicians and more than 100
outpatient centers, urgent care facilities and physician practices spanning
across Miami-Dade, Monroe, Broward and Palm Beach counties. Baptist Health
has internationally renowned centers of excellence in cancer, cardiovascular
care, orthopedics and sports medicine, and neurosciences. In addition,
it includes Baptist Health Medical Group; Baptist Health Quality Network;
and Baptist Health Care On Demand, a virtual health platform. A not-for-profit
organization supported by philanthropy and committed to our faith-based
charitable mission of medical excellence, Baptist Health has been recognized
by Fortune as one of the 100 Best Companies to Work For in America and
by Ethisphere as one of the World’s Most Ethical Companies. For
more information, visit
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Media Contact:
Michael Maucker, 561.955.4706
Marketing Manager
mmaucker@brrh.com