Congratulations to Dr. Jai Jai Shiva Shankar and the incredible pan-Canadian research team on the publication of the EMMA-Can Randomized Clinical Trial (RCT) in JAMA.
Led by Dr. Shankar from the University of Manitoba, this investigator-initiated multi-site RCT brought together radiologists, neurosurgeons, and neurologists collaborating across nine tertiary care centers from coast to coast.
The coordination of the study was undertaken by the University of Manitoba’s Research Office and The George & Fay Yee Centre for Healthcare Innovation (CHI) which champions patient-oriented research in Manitoba.
The findings of the study found that performing adjunctive Embolization of the Middle Meningeal Artery (EMMA) within 72 hours of standard surgical drainage drastically reduces symptomatic recurrence of chronic subdural hematomas at 90 days—dropping the recurrence rate from 28% down to just 4.3% compared to surgery alone.
When asked what makes successful research study, Dr. Shankar indicated that collaboration is key.
“Collaboration between institutions is fundamental to the successful completion of large clinical research studies. Beyond facilitating patient recruitment and the sharing of expertise, multi-centre collaboration is critical to ensuring that study findings are robust and generalizable. By including diverse institutions, patient populations, and clinical teams, the research demonstrates that the results are reproducible across different healthcare settings rather than being dependent on the experience of a single centre or operator. This broad applicability is essential for translating research into routine clinical practice and supports the widespread adoption of new treatments on a national and international scale.”
This is an incredible milestone for Canadian clinical research and a huge step forward for neurovascular care!