Christiana Care Health System is one of the largest health care providers in the mid-Atlantic, serving all of Delaware and parts of PA, MD and NJ.

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American Academy of Neurology : Member

American Physician Scientist Association : Member

American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology : Diplomate in Neurology and Vascular Neurology

Acquired Hemicerebral Atrophy Secondary to Chronic Internal Carotid Steno-Occlusive Disease: A Case Series

Noninvasive Optical Monitoring of Cerebral Blood Flow, Critical Closing Pressure, and Arteriole Compliance in Adult Human Subjects

Dynamic autoregulation of cerebral blood flow measured non-invasively with fast diffuse correlation spectroscopy

Every minute that a brain is not getting blood flow during a stroke millions of neurons are dying. So, every minute, every second counts when treating a stroke patient.That is why ChristianaCare’s stroke team has been on a multi-year journey of exploring every element, every step of the initial treatment process and the amount of time it takes to get a patient from coming in the door to getting IV blood thinners – known as Door To Needle (DTN) time.We take a deep dive into how expert stroke teams bring clarity to chaos in a race against a ticking clock with Dr. Kim Gannon, medical director of ChristianaCare’s Comprehensive Stroke Program. We explore where opportunities to reduce DTN have been found and where they are still available in the high-stakes decisions and protocols that swing the pendulum between recovery and lasting impact. And we understand the impact of the first rule of medicine – do no harm.Learn how a drive to be exceptional today and even better tomorrow is leading to drastically better outcomes for patients who come to one of the nation’s highest volume stroke programs.Dr. Kim Gannon, an active vascular neurologist, oversees ChristianaCare's stroke program, one of the busiest stroke programs nationwide. She combines the expertise of a clinician with doctorate research to improve both patient and population health in neurological care. Dr. Gannon oversees ChristianaCare’s inpatient neurology consultative service, neurocritical care, and neurointerventional surgical services.LinksChristianaCare Stroke ProgramSaying "Thank You" for Lifesaving Stroke CareTarget: Stroke - When Seconds CountStroke Systems of Care: A Systematic Approach to Saving NeuronsThanks for listening and subscribing! Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and LinkedIn.

Saving Seconds and Reducing Door to Needle Time with Dr. Kim Gannon

Dr. Kimberly Gannon, an active vascular neurologist, oversees ChristianaCare's stroke program, one of the busiest stroke programs nationwide.

She combines the expertise of a clinician with doctorate research to improve both patient and population health in neurological care. Dr. Gannon oversees ChristianaCare’s inpatient neurology consultative service, neurocritical care, and neurointerventional surgical services. She is the recipient of numerous research recognition and scholarship awards, including induction into the Gold Humanism Honor Society. 

Dr. Gannon has presented nationally and contributed to articles in peer-reviewed publications, including the American Journal of Physiology.

Stroke Care

Vascular Neurology

Neurology

Physiology

Neurological Diseases

ChristianaCare Stroke Program

Head shot of Dr. Kim Gannon

My doctor is back in the office. Is it safe to reschedule my appointment?

Reopening Delaware - Dr. Kim Gannon warns against delaying stroke care

Health care is about more than broken bones and blood pressure readings. Join For the Love of Health hosts Michael Chesney and Megan McGuriman every other Thursday for engaging conversations about fascinating treatments, innovative programs, groundbreaking research and cutting-edge technology. Learn how medical experts are creating health today and delivering the care of tomorrow.

For the Love of Health

christianacare-brings-primary-care-and-neurointerventional-care-to-sussex-county-at-new-milford-location

Medical Director of Comprehensive Stroke Program, Physician Executive of Neurosciences Service Line

Family Medicine Physician

ChristianaCare is enhancing care options in Milford, Delaware, with the addition of two highly skilled physicians to better serve the community's growing health needs.

 
Chinwe Ike-Chinwo, M.D., is a board-certified primary care physician with a special interest in preventive medicine. Thinesh Sivapatham, M.D., is a fellowship-trained neurointerventional surgeon and member of ChristianaCare's Neurointerventional Surgery team, specializing in minimally invasive techniques to treat conditions affecting the blood vessels of the head, neck and spine, including strokes and aneurysms.  The practice is located at Halpern Plaza, 701 N. DuPont Blvd. To schedule an appointment, patients can call 302-725-3420.

Convenient and Accessible Primary Care At the new ChristianaCare Primary Care at Milford practice, Ike-Chinwo is passionate about building long-term relationships with her patients, helping them achieve optimal health through personalized care.

 “I am excited to serve the Milford community and help individuals achieve their best health,” she said. “Through prevention, chronic disease management and wellness care, we aim to support our patients in leading healthier, more fulfilling lives.”

Ike-Chinwo introduces herself in this video. The primary care practice offers a comprehensive range of services to adult patients, including sick visits, immunizations, physical exams, preventive screenings and treatment for both acute and chronic conditions and women’s health. The practice is open Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. In March 2025, the practice will welcome a second provider.

 
In April 2025, the Milford site will also offer ChristianaCare’s My65+ program, which focuses on preventive care and chronic disease management for patients 65 and older.

The providers at ChristianaCare’s new Milford location will play a crucial role in addressing the growing health care needs of Sussex County, which is experiencing rapid population growth, particularly among older adults. Sussex County has been designated as a Medically Underserved Area by the federal government, with projections showing that the population will increase from 237,378 in 2022 to over 361,000 by 2050, further intensifying the demand for primary care services.

As the demand for primary and specialty care in Sussex County grows, especially among older adults, ChristianaCare is committed to meeting the health care needs of the community with personalized, patient-centered care.

 
“Our mission is to make high-quality, compassionate care accessible to every resident of the communities we serve,” said Priya Dixit-Patel, M.D., physician executive for Core and Advanced Primary Care at ChristianaCare. “As primary care providers remain in short supply in many areas like Milford, we are focused on delivering care that can prevent disease, manage chronic conditions, and improve overall well-being, particularly for older adults.”

Specialized Neurointerventional Consults Close to Home Sivapatham is excited to bring neurointerventional care to the Milford community and surrounding areas.

 “Neurointerventional Surgery is a highly specialized field that is often only found in larger metropolitan areas,” said Sivapatham, who speaks about treatment for stroke in this video. “I look forward to working closely with patients to ensure they receive the same high-quality care right here in Sussex County.”

Kim Gannon, M.D., Ph.D., medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Program and physician executive of the Neuroscience Service Line at ChristianaCare, highlighted the importance of improving access to physician consults for patients in Sussex County.

 
“Providing neurointerventional care closer to home significantly improves access to specialized services for stroke patients who might otherwise need to travel to Newark,” said Gannon. “We want to ensure that patients receive the ongoing care and support essential for their recovery and long-term health at a location close to where they live.”




ChristianaCare Brings Primary Care and Neurointerventional Care to Sussex County at New Milford Location

innovative-eeg-brain-monitoring-program-provides-optimal-care-for-critically-ill-patients

ChristianaCare has launched an innovative electroencephalogram (EEG) brain monitoring program that represents a significant leap forward in the diagnosis and management of neurological conditions. The easy-to-use EEG program is the first of its kind that can be performed at the bedside to measure the electrical activity of the brain, providing a vital sign for brain function to help diagnose seizures more quickly.

ChristianaCare is the first hospital system in Delaware to use the Ceribell point-of-care EEG monitoring system, which can reduce the time it takes to diagnose certain neurological conditions from hours to mere minutes. Using the system, clinicians have immediate access to EEG information so they can triage at-risk patients in just five minutes and monitor patients for treatment optimization.

“With this new program, our team of expert clinicians will have the diagnostic information they need to provide high-risk patients with the right care at the right time, ensuring the best outcomes for our patients and their families,” said Kim Gannon, M.D., Ph.D., service line leader for Neurosciences at ChristianaCare.

New technology detects ‘silent seizures’ Critically ill patients are at high risk of harmful brain electrical discharges called seizures. Some of these patients experience a type of “silent seizure” with no noticeable symptoms (non-convulsive) that can only be detected using EEG. If prolonged, non-convulsive seizures can lead to permanent brain injury and higher risk of morbidity and mortality.

 Demonstration of EEG device on patient at ChristianaCare Newark Campus. As a result, guidelines from the Neurocritical Care Society recommend EEG should be initiated within 15-60 minutes when these seizures are suspected.

Meeting these guidelines has proven difficult due to the limitations of conventional EEG systems, which were not designed for use in emergency situations. Even top academic centers that have 24/7 EEG capabilities may experience wait times of four hours or more for conventional equipment. When relying on clinical judgement alone while waiting for these conventional EEG systems, diagnostic accuracy has been shown to be only slightly better than chance (65%).

The value of this new technology for patients is that it provides accurate results quickly so that the care team can intervene early.

“The neuroscience and critical care teams at ChristianaCare believe that ‘time is brain’ not only applies to stroke but also when dealing with seizure,” Gannon said.

Gannon is referring to the fact that for every minute that passes when someone is having a stroke, 1.9 million brain cells are lost, increasing the chance of disability or death. That same kind of speed and urgency can now more easily be brought to bear for patients when a seizure is suspected.

“This monitoring system is easy to use and can be set up in about five minutes,” said Richard Choi, D.O., medical director of the Neurocritical Care Unit at Christiana Hospital. “It consists of a simple headband, pocket-sized recorder with intuitive software and an on-line portal for remote viewing. Using the system, we can review EEG data, assess response to treatment and optimize care, all in real-time.”

Neurosciences at ChristianaCare ChristianaCare’s multidisciplinary neurosciences team provides comprehensive and advanced care for neurologic illnesses across the acute and ambulatory settings. As the largest and most comprehensive neurology practice in Delaware with more than 55,000 patient visits last year, ambulatory subspecialties include stroke, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, movement disorders, neuromuscular disorders, headaches/migraines, pediatric neurology and Botox specialists. The inpatient team of experts includes neurosurgeons, neurointerventional surgeons, neurocritical care physicians and vascular neurologists. The Newark Campus serves as the only comprehensive stroke center in the state and includes the only Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in Delaware.


Innovative EEG Brain Monitoring Program Provides Optimal Care for Critically Ill Patients

The Christiana Hospital Stroke Program has been recognized as a Comprehensive Stroke Center, the most advanced level of expertise in stroke care by national certifying organization The Joint Commission. We provide 24-7 availability of expertise in stroke care including neurologists, neurosurgeons, and neurointerventional radiologists. 

For patients who arrive within a few hours of the start of stroke symptoms, we offer a full range of emergency treatment options including medications and advanced surgical techniques to restore blood flow to the brain and prevent further brain injury.

ChristianaCare's Comprehensive Stroke Center

In a recent Facebook Live on stroke with Dr. Kimberly Gannon, medical director of the ChristianaCare Comprehensive Stroke Program, she shared helpful information on how to recognize stroke symptoms, stroke risk factors, how to prevent stroke, treatments available for stroke, information about our Comprehensive Stroke Program and more.

Facebook Live: Stroke Q&A

Every minute that a brain is not getting blood flow during a stroke millions of neurons are dying. So, every minute, every second counts when treating a stroke patient.

That is why ChristianaCare’s stroke team has been on a multi-year journey of exploring every element, every step of the initial treatment process and the amount of time it takes to get a patient from coming in the door to getting IV blood thinners – known as Door To Needle (DTN) time.

We take a deep dive into how expert stroke teams bring clarity to chaos in a race against a ticking clock with Dr. Kim Gannon, medical director of ChristianaCare’s Comprehensive Stroke Program. We explore where opportunities to reduce DTN have been found and where they are still available in the high-stakes decisions and protocols that swing the pendulum between recovery and lasting impact. And we understand the impact of the first rule of medicine – do no harm.

For more information on this episode, visit https://christianacare.org/us/en/wellness/podcast

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