12 Oct Valley Baptist Doctors Report ‘World’s First’ Treatment for Bleeding Around the Brain

Two Valley Baptist Medical Center physicians say they performed the first procedure of its kind in the world on Aug. 21, using a new liquid to treat bleeding around an elderly patient’s brain, according to the Valley Morning Star.

Dr. Ameer Hassan, who leads neuroscience at the Harlingen campus, and Dr. Muhammad Khan, who practices neurosurgery in Brownsville, did the procedure together.

It treats a subdural hematoma, a pool of blood that collects between the brain and its protective lining, usually caused by a fall or other head impact. Khan said a growing bleed squeezes the brain, bringing on headaches, confusion or weakness and, if it gets large enough, graver complications. Hassan said older adults and people on blood thinners face particular risk, and that the condition can sharply limit a patient’s independence and everyday life.

Doctors call the technique Onyx 12 MMA embolization. They inject a liquid glue into the blood vessels feeding the injury to cut off blood flow to them. This version uses a thinner formula that is meant to travel farther and more precisely. Hassan said no one had done the bilateral version, which treats both sides, before him.

Hassan said his focus is making sure Valley patients can get cutting-edge brain and blood-vessel care close to home. Khan said he was honored to be given the case, and that the confidence patients and families placed in him made the success meaningful.

The announcement lands in a region that has long faced worse health outcomes than much of the country, which is the backdrop for Hassan’s point about keeping advanced care local.

Hassan also cited the Embolise trial, a New England Journal of Medicine study he helped write. He said it showed that patients who received middle meningeal artery embolization along with surgery were less likely to see the hematoma return and need a second operation.

He said a minimally invasive option nearby is exciting for patients and families, and that Khan’s work with the new formula shows the hospital keeps pushing to improve care.