About

Prof. Paul Yock is the Martha Weiland Professor in the School of Medicine and Professor of Bioengineering, Emeritus. He began his faculty career as an interventional cardiologist at UC San Francisco before moving to Stanford in 1994. Prof. Yock is recognized for his work in inventing, developing, and testing new medical devices, including the Rapid Exchange angioplasty and stenting system, which is the primary approach used worldwide. He authored the fundamental patents for intravascular ultrasound imaging, conducted the initial clinical trials, and established the Stanford Center for Research in Cardiovascular Interventions as a core laboratory for the analysis of intravascular ultrasound clinical studies. Additionally, he invented the Smart Needle and is a co-inventor of the strain-reduction patch for wound healing. Prof. Yock was the founding Co-Chair of the Department of Bioengineering and continues research related to new device technologies. He was also the founding director of the Stanford Byers Center for Biodesign, dedicated to advanced training in medical technology innovation.

Research topics

• Political Science
• Artificial Intelligence
• Sociology
• Computer Science
• Radiology
• Medicine
• Cardiology
• Gender studies
• Engineering
• Public relations
• Psychology
• Social psychology
• Management
• Internal medicine

Selected publications

• Milli-spinner thrombectomy

  Nature · 2025-06-04 · 18 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Milli-spinner thrombectomy

  arXiv (Cornell University) · 2024-07-26

  preprintOpen access

  Blockage of blood flow in arteries or veins by blood clots can lead to serious medical conditions. Mechanical thrombectomy (MT), minimally invasive endovascular procedures that utilize aspiration, stent retriever, or cutting mechanisms for clot removal have emerged as an effective treatment modality for ischemic stroke, myocardial infarction, pulmonary embolism, and peripheral vascular disease. However, state-of-the-art MT technologies still fail to remove clots in approximately 10% to 30% of patients, especially when treating large-size clots with high fibrin content. In addition, the working mechanism of most current MT techniques results in rupturing or cutting of clots which could lead to clot fragmentation and distal emboli. Here, we report a new MT technology based on an unprecedented mechanism, in which a milli-spinner mechanically debulks the clot by densifying its fibrin fiber network and discharging red blood cells to significantly reduce the clot volume for complete clot removal. This mechanism is achieved by the spin-induced compression and shearing of the clot. We demonstrate its effective clot-debulking performance with clot volumetric reduction of up to 90% on various sizes of clots with diverse clot compositions. Milli-spinner MT in both in-vitro pulmonary and cerebral artery flow models and in-vivo swine models demonstrate high-fidelity revascularization. The milli-spinner MT is the first reported mechanism that directly modifies the clot microstructure to facilitate clot removal, which also results in markedly improved MT efficacy compared to the existing MT mechanisms that are based on clot rupturing and cutting. This technology introduces a unique mechanical way of debulking and removing clots for future MT device development, especially for the treatment of ischemic stroke, pulmonary emboli, and peripheral thrombosis.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Needs Assessment And Evaluation Of A Web Based Information System For Self Initiated Biomedical Education

  2024-01-31

  articleOpen access

  The Internet and Intranet have emerged as convenient and cost effective media for information retrieval and dissemination.Recently, many bibliographic systems, medical databases, knowledge-based systems, and online books have been built to improve access to biomedical information.Although all facilitate access to biomedical knowledge, each system is only accessible individually and often any system does not contain an adequate constellation of databases with non-overlapping content to satisfy the needs of a designer.Maintaining applications is costly and learning from them is awkward.This paper describes a joint effort of the Stanford Health Information Network for Education (SHINE) [1] and the Medical Device Network (MDN) [2].We aim to examine the potential value and enhancement of efficiency of a biomedical digital library system that offers the biomedical information needed during conception and design of a medical device.We explain why understanding the use patterns of medical information and facilitating presentation of focused medical information are very important for the design of a biomedical digital library system.We also explain the needs assessment analysis that is used to modify SHINE, an existing web-based integrated digital library system, as a medical information system specifically sensitive to the engineer's work.We believe that the results of this study can improve the understanding of the information needs of biomedical engineers at various levels of responsibility and the functional requirements of designing an integrated web-based information system.Using these results, we can modify SHINE to better support self-initiated biomedical engineering education.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• IMPACT OF MYOCARDIAL BRIDGING ON CORONARY ARTERY PLAQUE FORMATION AFTER HEART TRANSPLANTATION: SERIAL IVUS ANALYSIS WITH NEAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY

  Journal of the American College of Cardiology · 2024-04-01 · 1 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Milli-spinner thrombectomy

  Research Square · 2024-08-02

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Impact of myocardial bridging on coronary artery plaque formation and long-term mortality after heart transplantation

  International Journal of Cardiology · 2023-03-07 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Lessons from Developing Multimedia Learning Materials for the Digital Generation

  Biomedical Engineering Education · 2023-04-17 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  Recognizing that traditional textbooks on need-driven health technology innovation were increasingly misaligned with the needs of today's undergraduate biomedical engineering students and the faculty who teach them, we initiated an effort to develop new learning materials for this audience. To guide our efforts, we conducted literature searches on best practices in the development of online content and engaging digital learners (primarily Gen-Z). We further held a series of discussions with biomedical engineering students and instructors at universities across the United States. This input led us to the development of a set of modular, online, multimedia learning materials specifically designed for the new generation of undergraduate learners. In this article, we present the key decisions that helped shape the project. We also share the results of feedback surveys and focus groups that shed light on how the materials have been preliminarily received. Finally, we reflect on challenges, opportunities, and lessons from this project that may be helpful to other initiatives focused on the creation of multimedia content for the digital generation.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• RVEX: Right Ventricular External Device for Biomimetic Support and Monitoring of the Right Heart

  Advanced Materials Technologies · 2022-02-09 · 9 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract Right ventricular (RV) failure remains a significant burden for patients with advanced heart failure, especially after major cardiac surgeries such as implantation of left ventricular assist devices. Device solutions that can assist the complex biological function of heart muscle without the disadvantages of bulky designs and infection‐prone drivelines remain an area of pressing clinical need, especially for the right ventricle. In addition, devices that incur contact between blood and artificial surfaces mandate long‐term use of blood‐thinning medications, carrying increased risks for the patients. This work describes the design of a biomimetic, elastic sleeve to support RV‐specific motion via tuned regional mechanical properties. The RV external device (RVEX) in computational models as well as benchtop models and ex vivo (i.e., explanted heart) setups are evaluated to characterize the device and predict functional benefit. Additionally, long‐term implantation potential is demonstrated in mice. Finally, the ability to sensorize the RVEX device to yield resistive self‐sensing capabilities to continuously monitor ventricular deformation, as demonstrated in benchtop experiments and in live animal surgeries, is proposed.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Biomedical Technology Innovation Education and Its Effect on Graduate Student Careers Over 17 Years

  Biomedical Engineering Education · 2021-05-24 · 7 citations

  articleOpen access

  Abstract In the 1990s, interest in biomedical technologies blossomed among students across disciplines. In parallel, there was a push in academia to develop courses enabling interdisciplinary problem solving and more holistic, practice-oriented education. In response, Stanford Biodesign created a graduate course in biomedical technology innovation. Seventeen years later, we sought to gauge the impact of this course on student commitment to careers in biomedical technology, whether students took on leadership and innovation roles, and if they found the holistic innovation process we teach to be useful in their careers. We disseminated a web-based survey to collect self-reported data from students completing the course between 2003 and 2019. 186 students responded (24.8%). 62% ( n = 115/186) reported a strong commitment to careers in biomedical technology before the course while 84% ( n = 156/186) felt that way after. The improvement in mean scores from pre-course (3.8) to post-course (4.3) was statistically significant ( p < 0.0001). Additionally, 78% ( n = 145/186) currently work in healthcare, with 72% of those ( n = 115/145) in biomedical technology. 82% ( n = 146/179) were in innovation roles and 58% ( n = 102/177) were in leadership positions. Nearly 94% ( n = 161/172) found the course influential and the process to be useful in their careers. The data suggest that the course is perceived as valuable and is effective at creating and/or sustaining student interest in biomedical technology innovation. The results point to multiple improvement opportunities that are important for keeping the course relevant.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Head-to-head comparison of quantitative measurements between intravascular imaging systems: An in vitro phantom study

  IJC Heart & Vasculature · 2021-09-01 · 11 citations

  articleOpen access

  INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to compare the accuracy of quantitative measurements by contemporary intravascular imaging systems including optical frequency domain imaging (OFDI), frequency domain optical coherence tomography (FD-OCT), and 6 intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) systems. METHODS: We imaged five cylindrical phantom models made from an acrylic resin with known lumen diameters (1.51, 2.03, 3.04, 4.04, and 5.04 mm, respectively) using OFDI (FastView and LUNAWAVE, Terumo), FD-OCT (Dragonfly JP and ILUMIEN OPTIS, Abbott Vascular), and 6 mechanically rotating IVUS systems including a system, two 40-MHz, one 45-MHz, two 60-Mhz and one broad-band frequency IVUS systems. The OFDI, FD-OCT, and IVUS images were obtained using automated motorized pullback in a tank filled with 37-degree Celsius saline and, in cases of OFDI and FD-OCT, contrast-saline mixture (1:1 ratio) and contrast under the system setting of the refractive index for the corresponding flush medium. RESULTS: All the imaging systems showed good accuracy and excellent precision of lumen measurement with the relative differences between the measured diameter and actual phantom diameter being ranging from -2.9% to 8.0% and minimum standard deviations of the measured diameters (≤0.02 mm). CONCLUSION: The present study demonstrated that contemporary intravascular imaging systems including OFDI, FD-OCT, and IVUS provided clinically acceptable accuracy and excellent precision of quantitative lumen measurement in phantom models in vitro across a wide range of dimensions. Future research to confirm these findings in vivo are warranted.

  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Peter J. Fitzgerald

  Stanford University

  752 shared

• Yasuhiro Honda

  438 shared

• Alan C. Yeung

  Public Health Scotland

  315 shared

• Atsushi Takagi

  Nippon Medical School Hospital

  162 shared

• Hideki Kitahara

  Chiba University

  153 shared

• Kozo Okada

  Kyorin University

  146 shared

• Michael Cleman

  Yale New Haven Health System

  127 shared

• Yoshihiro Morino

  Iwate Medical University

  125 shared

Education

• M.D.

  Stanford University

• M.S.

  Stanford University

• B.S.

  Stanford University