An experimental medical device saved a Gurnee man after a stroke — and now it has FDA approval
More than two years after a stroke nearly killed him, Gurnee resident Bob Metcalf, 65, is doing the things he loves and enjoying his retirement.
His recovery has gone so well in part because of an experimental device that allowed his surgeon to grab and remove a blood clot in his brain.
Earlier this year, that device — called the PRESET Thrombectomy Device — got the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's seal of approval based on data collected during surgeries like the one that saved Metcalf's life.
“It's extra gratifying,” Metcalf said after learning the device had been sanctioned. “This might be something that could help a lot of other people.”
The doctors who saved Metcalf's life were able to use the experimental device only because Bob's wife, Kathy, agreed for him to take part in the trial.
It was a critical decision Kathy Metcalf made on a harrowing morning.
It was Valentine's Day in 2021 and she had just finished walking the couple's new dog, 5-month-old Rexie, a German shepherd. While Kathy made coffee, Rexie went to check on Metcalf, who had collapsed near the back of their Gurnee home. The dog knew something was wrong and raced over to Kathy.
“She was not settling down,” recalled Kathy Metcalf, who said she followed the dog to where her husband had fallen by their bedroom.
In about an hour, Metcalf was taken to Advocate Condell Medical Center in Libertyville and then flown to Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge for emergency surgery.
In the middle of all that, a doctor called Kathy Metcalf to ask if she would consent to her husband being enrolled in a medical trial for the experimental blood clot removal device. She said she thought since it was part of a study, the doctors would work harder “to save him.”
So she signed him up.
Dr. Joshua Billingsley, Metcalf's neurosurgeon at Advocate Lutheran General Hospital, said the experimental device already was widely used in Europe and functioned similarly to the one used across the U.S.
During the surgery, a tube is inserted through a small incision in the leg and the surgeon pushes it up to the blood clot in the brain. Once there, the surgeon releases the device — a compressed metal net from inside the tube. The net expands to surround the clot before it is removed.
Metcalf was among 23 patients to enroll in the clinical trial at Advocate Health Care, which was recognized as a top-enrolling site in the trial. The Advocate Health Care research team also was recently recognized for stroke care excellence for the PRESET device trial at the American Heart Association's 2023 International Stroke Conference.
Julie Walters, of the Advocate Aurora Research Institute, said the hospital system has hundreds of clinical trials going on at any given time. She said there were 427 open clinical trials last year.
Kathy Metcalf said sometimes she will think about how many things had to go right to save Bob's life.
“What if we hadn't gotten the dog? What if Condell didn't have a stroke protocol or connection to Lutheran General? What if we had to rely on the older procedure that might not have brought Bob as far back as they brought him back?” she said. “I'm thankful for each and every one of them.”