In a First, Doctors Use Robotics to Treat Brain Aneurysm

FRIDAY, Feb. 21, 2020 -- Canadian doctors who conducted the first robotic surgery to treat a brain aneurysm say the approach could boost the availability and precision of lifesaving stroke care.

Use of the technology could also be a first step toward remote robotic surgery for stroke and other conditions affecting brain blood vessels.

Brain Stent Could Cut Odds for a Second Stroke

THURSDAY, Feb. 20, 2020 -- For decades, artery-opening stents have helped prevent heart attacks, and new research suggests they might also help prevent strokes in the brain.

In a new study, the self-expanding, intracranial Wingspan brain stent seems effective over the long term in reducing stroke patients' risk of a subsequent stroke and death.

Only 1 in 5 Have Fast Access to State-of-the-Art Stroke Care

FRIDAY, March 6, 2020 -- Too few Americans have quick access to a medical center that can perform a procedure to remove stroke-causing blood clots, new research shows.

For the study, researchers examined nationwide availability of endovascular thrombectomy -- removal of a blood clot with a mechanical device that's threaded through an artery.

AHA News: Stroke Survivors Might Need Better Screening for Depression

WEDNESDAY, Feb. 12, 2020 (American Heart Association News) -- Depression among stroke survivors peaks during the early months of recovery and persists for a full year, a new study finds. Experts say better screening methods are needed for this population to more effectively prevent and treat depression.

"We found that depression is both prevalent and persistent during the first year following a stroke," said lead researcher Liming Dong, a research investigator at the University of Michigan School of Public Health in Ann Arbor. She is presenting the preliminary findings next week at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in Los Angeles.

A Stroke at 30,000 Feet? For One Lucky Passenger, It Wasn't

MONDAY, Jan. 27, 2020 -- A flight attendant on a recent commercial flight sent out the message: "Is there a doctor on board?"

An otherwise young, fit male passenger had suddenly lost the ability to move the muscles on the right side of his face, including the ability to close his right eye. He was drooling and had slurred speech.

Vaping Now Tied to Rise in Stroke Risk

TUESDAY, Jan. 7, 2020 -- E-cigarettes are not a safer alternative to tobacco as far as strokes are concerned, according to a new study.

Young adults who use tobacco and e-cigarettes are nearly twice as likely to have a stroke as those who smoke only traditional cigarettes and almost three times as likely as nonsmokers, researchers say.