Westchester Medical Center University Hospital (WMC), formerly Grasslands Hospital, is an 895-bed Regional Trauma Center providing health services to residents of the Hudson Valley, northern New Jersey, and southern Connecticut. It is known for having one of the highest case mix index rates of all hospitals in the United States. 652 beds are at the hospital's primary location in Valhalla, while the other 243 beds are at the MidHudson Regional Hospital campus in Poughkeepsie. It is organized as Westchester County Health Care Corporation, and is a New York State public-benefit corporation.Westchester Medical Center is the primary academic medical center and University Hospital of New York Medical College. Many of New York Medical College's faculty provide patient care, teach, and conduct research at the adjacent campus. Westchester Medical Center provides diverse specialty services to patients of all ages, and hosts one of the leading Kidney and Liver transplant programs in New York, and is home to Maria Fareri Children's Hospital, the only all-specialty children's hospital in the region.
Although elevated depression rates have been reported among medical students and individuals with disabilities independently, no study has simultaneously assessed depression risk in medical students with disabilities (SWD) using a validated screening tool. This study aimed to compare depression risk in SWDs to peers without disabilities using the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). A multi-institutional, cross-sectional survey was conducted in fall 2020 across seven allopathic medical schools in the U.S. and Canada. An anonymous Qualtrics survey asked medical students to complete the PHQ-2 and information about their disability status, both self-identified and registered with their institution’s disabilities office (IDO). Depression risk was categorized using a PHQ-2 score cutoff of ≥ 3. Chi-square tests and independent-sample t-tests were used to assess associations between disability status and PHQ-2 scores. Of 4,661 students invited, 1,800 (38.6
Post-stroke dysphagia is associated with increased healthcare costs and resource utilization. This analysis sought to evaluate acute clinical and economic outcomes among patients with stroke, with and without post-stroke dysphagia, and other associated sequelae. A retrospective analysis of Medicare inpatient claims was conducted. The analysis sample included patients with a diagnosis of acute ischemic (AIS) and hemorrhagic (intracerebral hemorrhage, ICH) stroke, with or without subsequent post-stroke complications of dysphagia, pneumonia, and percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) placement. The primary outcomes were total length of stay (LOS) and intensive care unit (ICU), days, costs (derived from charges using cost-to-charge ratios), reimbursement, and discharge destination. Regression analyses explored the relationship between LOS and cost for patients with dysphagia and AIS or ICH. A total of 595,903 patients with AIS or ICH stroke (N = 474,634 AIS and N = 95,020 ICH) were included, with dysphagia (13.0
This review summarizes recent advances in the diagnosis and treatment of spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), with emphasis on newborn screening, disease-modifying therapies, and emerging treatment strategies. Newborn screening has enabled presymptomatic diagnosis of SMA leading to early treatment, resulting in markedly improved survival and motor outcomes compared with historical natural history. As of 2025, there are three approved disease-modifying therapies nusinersen, risdiplam and onasemnogene abeparvovec. Each increase functional survival motor neuron (SMN) protein through distinct mechanisms and demonstrate greatest functional benefit when initiated earlier in the disease. Real-world and long-term data support sustained benefit across age groups but also highlight persistent functional limitations and treatment specific safety and delivery considerations. Emerging therapies aim to optimize SMN restoration, reduce treatment burden and address residual muscle weakness through non-SMN approaches. Early diagnosis and initiation of disease-modifying therapy have fundamentally changed the prognosis of SMA. Future directions in SMA therapies include next-generation SMN-targeted therapies and muscle-targeted therapies. Improved outcomes will depend on optimizing therapeutic strategies, addressing unmet needs in symptomatically treated patients and expanding equitable access to screening and treatment worldwide.
Middle meningeal artery embolization (MMAE) has emerged as a treatment for chronic subdural hematoma (cSDH), but comprehensive real-world safety data remain limited. We performed a multicenter retrospective analysis of 1781 consecutive patients undergoing MMAE for cSDH (2019–2025). The primary outcome was any procedure-related complication within 30 days. Inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) assessed the association between technical success and complications, adjusting for demographic, clinical, and procedural confounders. Mean age was 72.8 ± 12.4 years; 68.1
PURPOSE:Large bore catheters are increasingly used in mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for large vessel occlusions (LVOs). OBJECTIVE:To evaluate the efficacy and safety of the super-large bore Cereglide 0.092" (C-92) catheter, featuring the largest inner diameter available. METHODS:A multicenter observational study was conducted across 12 comprehensive stroke centers in the United States. Efficacy outcomes included the first pass effect (FPE) and successful reperfusion. FPE was defined as a first MT pass achieving a modified Treatment in Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) score of ≥2c. Successful reperfusion was defined as final mTICI score ≥2c. Safety outcomes involved device-related complications, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), and inpatient mortality. Functional outcomes included modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at discharge and delta National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score. RESULTS:Fifty patients were included. The most common LVO was the first segment of the middle cerebral artery in 31/50 cases (62%). The C-92 reached the thrombus in 41 patients (82%). Median puncture-to-thrombus and puncture-to-reperfusion times were 15 min (IQR 10-25) and 26 min (IQR 15-49), respectively. FPE was achieved in 25/50 (50%) cases, and in 25/41 (61%) cases when the C-92 reached the thrombus. Successful reperfusion occurred in 36/41 patients (88%). There were no vessel perforations, or sICH. Distal embolization occurred in 4/50 (8%) cases, and 4/50 (8%) died. The mRS score at discharge was 3 (IQR 2-6), and the delta NIHSS score was 8 (IQR 5-12). CONCLUSION:The C-92 catheter demonstrated a safe profile achieving an overall FPE rate of 50%, and favorable functional outcomes in 88% of cases.
