The University of Santo Tomas (UST) Hospital has performed its first mechanical thrombectomy, a procedure used to restore blood flow in stroke patients with blocked brain arteries.

The procedure was led by Dr. Francis Angelo Basilio and Dr. Emmanuel Almazan through the hospital’s stroke service and Rapid Ultrasound in Shock team.

“It is a major artery. A large part of the brain can die. If nothing is done, the patient may experience severe symptoms. It can lead to disability or even death,” Basilio told The Varsitarian.

The first patient to undergo the procedure was an 81-year-old who lost movement on the right side of the body, a common symptom of stroke

After arriving at the emergency room, the patient underwent a CT scan to determine whether brain tissue could still be saved and whether a major artery was blocked.

“When we assessed that it was truly a large vessel occlusion and that we could perform thrombectomy, we quickly brought the patient to the Cath Lab to carry out the procedure,” Basilio said.

The team used the Penumbra Aspiration System, which removes blood clots through suction using a catheter inserted near the groin and guided to the blocked artery in the brain.

Blood flow was restored 12 minutes after activation of the device, with the clot removed after two attempts.

The patient later regained partial movement and responsiveness, although recovery remains ongoing because of age and preexisting medical conditions.

Basilio said mechanical thrombectomy is primarily used for severe ischemic strokes involving large vessel occlusions that may not respond to clot-dissolving drugs.