Dr. Robert Ecker is part of a team at Maine Medical working on groundbreaking treatment for clotting in the brain following a major stroke.
A screen capture from an animation video shows how a removable stent is being used by doctors at Maine Medical Center to remove blood clots. If the clots are removed soon after the stroke, patients have an increased chance of walking, talking and living independently.
Danielle and Robert Ricca of Windham spend time with their daughter, Fynnley, in the backyard of their Windham home. Robert is recovering from a stroke that adversely affected his speech, but could've been much worse if he hadn't undergone a groundbreaking procedure at Maine Medical Center performed by Dr. Ecker. The process, called "clot plumbing," is designed to use retrievable stents to remove clots in real time shortly after a stroke and before it can do significant damage to the brain.
Dr. Ecker holds a device called a stent retriever. The device is guided toward the blood clot in the brain through a major artery, and the fine mesh-like end of the device traps the blood clot. Once the blood clot is trapped, the device is removed, taking with it the clot.
Dr. Ecker holds the container for a medical device called a stent retriever, which is now being used to remove blood clots in the brain following a major stroke
Fynnley Ricca, 15 months old, is reflected in the sunglasses of her father, Robert Ricca of Windham, while playing in their backyard. Ricca is recovering from a stroke that adversely affected his speech, but could've been much worse if he hadn't undergone a groundbreaking procedure at Maine Medical Center performed by Dr. Eker.
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