Central Baptist Hospital is the first hospital in Kentucky to offer a new treatment for patients suffering from brain aneurysms.
The new Pipeline Embolization Device (PED) is the first U.S. Food & Drug Administration-approved device in a new class of devices known as flow diverters available in the United States.
This stent-like device is implanted across the opening to the aneurysm, diverting blood flow into a normal blood vessel. A brain aneurysm occurs as a weakness in blood vessels that supply blood to the brain. The weakness will frequently balloon outward, creating pressure on nearby brain structures which can cause a range of symptoms. Aneurysms usually occur without symptoms, with the first sign of trouble being the unexpected rupture of the blood vessel. This causes catastrophic brain hemorrhage, killing up to 60 percent of its victims. Those who live through such an event may be left with severe disability.
This flow diversion shields the aneurysm from the high pressures inside of it, allowing for a blood clot to form at the base of the aneurysm to permanently prevent bleeding and encourage normal vessel healing. The PED treatment allows the aneurysm to shrink completely over time so it can no longer cause symptoms. Patients whose aneurysm has been termed inoperable or those whose aneurysm has been treated but has recurred may be helped with PED treatment.
