April 29, 2008 - HealthEast Care System publicized The National Brain Aneurysm Center and the www.brainaneurysmcenter.org Web site, formerly the HealthEast Neurovascular Institute, focusing on complex neurovascular conditions such as aneurysm, stroke, vascular malformations, brain tumors and more.
Over the past six years, neurovascular surgeon Eric Nussbaum, M.D., and interventional neuroradiologist Michael Madison, M.D., reportedly performed more brain aneurysm surgeries than nearly every hospital in the country. Since 2002, the National Brain Aneurysm Center has treated more than 2,000 brain aneurysms, roughly 350 a year, establishing a subspecialty focus in one of the more complex and delicate surgical fields.
Drs. Nussbaum and Madison collaborate on each brain aneurysm patient, even operating together to ensure the best outcomes. For example, when Dr. Nussbaum performs an open-skull procedure to place a titanium clip on the aneurysm, Dr. Madison will thread a tiny camera up through an artery in the groin to the brain to take a photo of the finished product.
The National Brain Aneurysm Center is located at St. Joseph's Hospital and is a Joint Commission nationally certified primary stroke center, the first in St. Paul. With neurologists, specialized neurological nursing staff and a state-of-the-art neurovascular intensive care unit, the center provides a full range of neurological care to patients in the area. In the past few years, treating aneurysms has become about 70 percent of Dr. Nussbaum's practice, leading to exceptional outcomes.
Surgical complication rates for unruptured aneurysms are around 1.6 percent at the National Brain Aneurysm Center, compared with 10 percent nationally. Mortality rates for Dr. Nussbaum are 0.03 percent, compared with 4 percent nationally.
While the National Brain Aneurysm Center was created to improve patient care, its model also lowers the cost of care through decreased complications, shorter lengths of stay and improved mortality rates. Combined with their expertise in stroke care, The National Brain Aneurysm Center and www.brainaneurysmcenter.org work to give patients hope for the best possible outcomes and care.
For more information: www.brainaneurysmcenter.org