EVT is according to the NY Times is a revolutionary new stroke treatment that can eventually save millions of lives provided it is implemented quickly. The problem is the system of care has not yet evolved to respond as quickly as needed to use it effectively. Endovascular thrombectomy or EVT involves making a small incision in the groin and threading a microcatheter through the body, northbound to the brain. The clot is then extracted and pulled out through the groin, restoring proper blood flow and resolving the stroke symptoms immediately. The problem is getting the patient to the table in time as this is a highly complex process. There are a series of steps requiring layers of training and a rethinking of the protocols that move people around within the medical system. Read about this fascinating procedure in the NY Times magazine article below This Revolutionary Stroke Treatment Will Save Millions of Lives. Eventually. A procedure called EVT is creating radically better outcomes for patients, but only when it’s performed quickly enough — and that requires the transformation of an entire system of care. By Eva Holland March 1, 2023 Kris Walterson doesn’t remember exactly how he got to the bathroom, very early on a Friday morning — only that once he got himself there, his feet would no longer obey him. He crouched down and tried to lift them up with his hands before sliding to the floor. He didn’t feel panicked about the problem, or even nervous really. But when he tried to get up, he kept falling down again: slamming his back against the bathtub, making a racket of cabinet doors. It didn’t make sense to him then, why his legs wouldn’t lock into place underneath him. He had a pair of fuzzy socks on, and he tried pulling them off, thinking that bare feet might get better traction on the bathroom floor. That didn’t work, either. When his mother came from her bedroom to investigate the noise, he tried to tell her that he couldn’t stand, that he needed her help. But he couldn’t seem to make her understand, and instead of hauling him up she called 911. After he was loaded into an ambulance at his home in Calgary, Alberta, a paramedic warned him that he would soon hear the sirens, and he did. The sound is one of the last things he remembers from that morning. Read more