Mountain View, CA - May 13, 2014 - El Camino Hospital and the Palo Alto Medical Foundation (PAMF) announced today an expansion of the hospital’s Neuroscience Institute to now include neurointerventional services. Patients at the hospital's Mountain View campus can now receive treatment for a wider range of diseases of the brain and spine and enhanced offerings for stroke-related care, neuro-oncology and neuro-critical care and comprehensive spine care.
To provide patients with the greatest breadth of expertise, this partnership brings together El Camino Hospital’s clinical expertise with that of PAMF and independent physicians to benefit patients and families across the Silicon Valley area.
"We are seeing an increase in patients at risk for stroke and other neurologic disorders and malformations, and it's important that we are immediately available at all times when they need this level of care," said Tomi Ryba, president and chief executive officer of El Camino Hospital. "We are pleased to now offer neurointerventional treatments, which are considered less invasive than more traditional modes of treatment and yield optimal patient outcomes."
With the addition of the neurointerventional services, El Camino Hospital can now offer:
- Comprehensive stroke-related care to patients without having to transfer them outside the community
- Even greater expertise to identify, diagnose and treat aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations
- Treatments with complex embolic or hemorrhagic strokes through minimally invasive approaches such as delivering tPA clot-dissolving therapy directly to a blood clot, or removing the blood clot with retrieval devices such as Merci Trevo Solitaire or Penumbra
- Greater ability to diagnose and treat neuro-oncology patients through its Radiosurgery Center and Radiation Oncology Department, using the innovative CyberKnife procedure for brain tumors
- A comprehensive approach for patients with diseases of the spine, including both orthopedic and neurosurgical techniques
Neurointerventional treatments are considered less invasive than more traditional surgical treatments and have been shown to yield optimal outcomes. While traditional surgeries require opening the skull and exposing the brain, neurointerventional procedures can be performed through a tiny incision. These procedures are made possible through imaging technology, which transmits images of the brain that provide specialists with clear and accurate information throughout the procedure.
"The imaging technology and continuum of services offered by El Camino Hospital are the same caliber as those found at academic medical centers but with the added benefit of being available right here in our community," said Thomas Wolfe, M.D., a neurologist with PAMF who is providing medical leadership for the neurointerventional services at El Camino Hospital. PAMF's neurology team at the Mountain View Center offers patients a full range of services for conditions of the nerves and brain, including stroke, headaches, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, Alzheimer's disease, Huntington’s disease, Cerebral Palsy and infections of the brain and spinal cord.
Both campuses are certified as Primary Stroke Centers by The Joint Commission, and the Rehabilitation Center at El Camino Hospital Los Gatos is CARF-accredited for post-hospital care.
About El Camino Hospital
El Camino Hospital is an acute-care, 443-bed, nonprofit and locally governed organization with campuses in Mountain View and Los Gatos, Calif. In addition to state-of-the-art emergency departments, key medical specialties include heart and vascular, cancer care, urology, orthopedic and spine, genomic medicine, and the only Women’s Hospital in Northern California. The hospital is recognized as a national leader in the use of health information technology and wireless communications, and has been awarded the Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center as well as back-to-back ANCC Magnet Recognitions for Nursing Care.
About the Palo Alto Medical Foundation
The Palo Alto Medical Foundation for Health Care, Research and Education (PAMF) is a not-for-profit health care organization dedicated to enhancing the health of people in our communities. This includes more than 800,000 patients and countless community members across Alameda, San Mateo, Santa Clara and Santa Cruz counties.
PAMF is part of the Peninsula Coastal Region of Sutter Health, a family of not-for-profit hospitals and physician organizations that share resources and expertise to advance health care quality, and is a pioneer in advanced patient safety technology.