Outpatient treatment at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville helps restore independence and quality of life after ischemic stroke.

 Jacksonville, Fla., July 6, 2026 – For many stroke survivors, weakness or limited movement in their hands and arms can persist long after the initial event, making routine tasks a daily challenge. Baptist Health is bringing renewed hope to those affected by stroke by offering a new outpatient procedure that, when paired with rehabilitative therapy, may help patients regain function in their upper extremities months or even years after an ischemic stroke. The therapy is the latest example of the health system’s longstanding commitment to offering coordinated stroke care from diagnosis to recovery. 

“This first-of-its-kind treatment represents a promising new advancement in stroke recovery,” said neurosurgeon Eric Sauvageau, MD, co-medical director of Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. “Because it helps create new neural connections, improvements in movement can continue even after rehabilitative therapy ends. I’ve seen patients who couldn’t open their hands following a stroke five, seven, or even 10 years ago now using their hands to eat.”

The minimally invasive procedure, performed at Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville, involves implanting a medical device no bigger than the palm of a hand into a patient’s chest. A wire connects the device to the vagus nerve in the neck, which carries signals between the brain and body. The FDA-approved Vivistim® Paired VNS™ System delivers gentle, repeated stimulation to help support recovery.

Vagus nerve stimulation (VNS), when delivered alongside physical and occupational therapy, boosts the brain’s ability to relearn movement by strengthening existing neural pathways and creating new ones that bypass areas damaged by the stroke. Research has shown that pairing VNS with rehabilitation may help people recover hand and arm function better than rehabilitation alone, with some studies finding improvements that were two to three times greater.1 While VNS is a newer approach for stroke recovery, it has been used at Baptist Health for years to treat other conditions such as epilepsy. 

Regaining movement and independence

The VNS treatment for stroke is suitable for those who have experienced moderate to severe upper extremity impairment for at least six months or more following an ischemic stroke. Outpatient rehabilitation therapy begins two to three weeks after implantation, with sessions focused on everyday activities such as brushing one’s hair or cutting food. The device delivers stimulation as patients perform these movements, and patients can continue therapy at home by activating the device while practicing exercises or performing daily tasks.

“This innovative therapy is part of our ongoing effort to bring leading-edge stroke treatments to the communities we are privileged to serve,” said Nicole B. Thomas, FACHE, president of Baptist Jacksonville. “As the regional leader in comprehensive stroke care, our specialist teams excel at delivering compassionate care that restores independence and quality of life to our patients and their families.”

Baptist Health is a regional leader in neurology and neurosurgery and is recognized nationally for minimally invasive, innovative treatments and groundbreaking research. At the forefront of this work is Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center. Located at Baptist Jacksonville, it is Northeast Florida’s leading center for advanced diagnostics and treatments for strokes, brain aneurysms and other cerebrovascular conditions. The center’s reach extends to more than two dozen hospitals and satellite EDs via the Telestroke Program, which virtually connects physicians and health care professionals in the greater Jacksonville area and South Georgia with Baptist Health’s stroke experts. Accessible 24/7, the program promotes quicker diagnosis and treatment, reduces potential disability and saves lives.

 For more information on Baptist Health’s stroke program and the Baptist Stroke & Cerebrovascular Center, please visit: BaptistJax.com/Stroke. 

¹https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(21)00475-X/abstract 

Physicians providing care at Baptist Health are not employees or agents of the hospital. Eric Sauvageau, MD, is employed by Lyerly Baptist, Inc.

 About Baptist Health

Based in Jacksonville, Florida, Baptist Health is a community-based health system focused on making health care easier to access while working to improve health and well-being. As the area’s only locally governed, faith-based, not-for-profit health system, Baptist Health delivers a full spectrum of preventive and specialty care through its 200+ ambulatory locations, six acute care hospitals, home health and virtual care offerings. Through its comprehensive approach to whole-person health for children and adults, Baptist Health provides the area’s largest network of primary care, urgent care and behavioral health care, as well as many specialty services and several wellness centers. Destination centers of excellence include Baptist MD Anderson Cancer Center, Baptist Heart Hospital, Baptist Neurological Institute, and Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the only full-service children’s hospital serving the region. To help people get the care they need when and where they need it, the health system leverages digital technology to enhance the delivery of its high-quality, seamless, patient-centered care. Baptist Health is vital to the community, caring for more patients in Northeast Florida than any other provider. The health system has been consistently ranked as “most preferred” for more than 30 years and has been named one of “America’s Greatest Workplaces in Health Care” by Newsweek magazine. To learn more, visit BaptistJax.com.