New era at Gates Vascular Institute

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) - Employees shut one door at the old Millard Fillmore Gates hospital on Delaware Avenue, and got to work at the New Gates Vascular Institute on the medical campus.

News 4 got to experience first hand what kind of medically advanced surgeries are being performed there.

Wednesday, dedicated employees said goodbye to the 140-year-old Millard Fillmore Gates Hospital in Buffalo, as doctors closed the doors for good.

“Bittersweet saying goodbye to what is familiar and starting again,” said Linda D’Angelo, an RN at Gates for 35 years.

Kaleida Health shifted most of the employees and patients to the new state of the art Gates Vascular Institute on the medical campus.

The new $291 million facility has been performing technically advanced operations and taking care of patients since Monday.

News 4 was there when a 52-year-old stroke patient was brought here to the vascular institute and we got to witness the surgery first hand.

“Our job is to pull the clot out and restore flow to the brain,” said Dr. Travis Dumont, of the department of Neurosurgery.

Neurosurgeons worked carefully to save the person's life by getting the blood clot out.

“So the clot is still here, the stent is in position, which will open up flow to the brain where there was no flow before. Now we'll make efforts to pull the clot out,” said Dr. Dumont.

In about 10 minutes, Dr. Dumont saved the patients life by removing the blood clot.

There was a dramatic blood flow improvement in his brain, when doctors pulled the blood clot out with a stent they developed at the UB Stroke Research Center.

Professor of UB Neurosurgery Elad Levy said, “So before he wasn't talking, he wasn't moving the right side of his body. Now as soon as we pulled that clot out he's able to say he's okay.”

“So right on the table, it's unbelievable gratifying to see how these patients can go from what may be a fatal or lifetime in a nursing home to going almost back to normal within two minutes of pulling the clot out in some cases,” said Levy.

It's a moment that neurosurgeons, doctors and nurses strive for everyday.

Hospital leaders say successful innovative surgeries like that will help transform Buffalo into a world class health care destination.

In terms of the old Gates hospital in the next couple of days developers will be submitting plans to transform the 140-year-old building into apartments or possibly senior living.