Ballywho News

During a stroke, every minute means potential loss of brain function. Traditionally patients who had suffered a stroke had a short time frame to get treatment. However, new technology offers new hope for a medical condition that often goes undetected until hours—or even days—later. Since a stroke occurs when blood flow is cut off in the brain, these new treatment options can help prevent damage, and even salvage brain tissue.

Traditional Stroke Treatment

In the past, one of the only available options for treating stroke was the clot-busting drug tPa. Administered intravenously, this drug would dissolve the clot causing the arterial blockage. But tPa has its limitations:

• The drug can be administered only in the first 3 to 4.5 hours after a stroke. Since many stroke patients do not recognize their symptoms immediately, or suffer a stroke in their sleep (a “wake-up stroke”) , most come in after this three-hour window.
• There are many contraindications for tPa. Patients who have even one medical consideration from a very long list cannot receive the medication.
• Even among patients who are candidates for intravenous tPa, side effects remain a significant risk. After all, the drug thins the blood all over the body, not only in the brain.

Innovations in Stroke Treatment

Fortunately, an elite group of hospitals now has access to cutting-edge technology for stroke treatment. Called neurological interventions, or neurointerventions, these methods are far more effective at treating stroke and preserving patients’ brain function.

The first of these new tools is called a CT profusion scan. A regular CT shows only one-dimensional pictures of the brain. However, a CT profusion scan creates a three-dimensional picture of the brain, color coded in green and red, to represent living and dead tissue. The scan can help doctors locate the blocked artery causing the stroke and determine how much brain tissue can still be saved.

Once the blockage has been identified, neurologists have three high-tech options for restoring blood flow to the brain:

• Delivering tPa directly to the site of the clot: This can be done with a catheter, inserted in a vein in the patient’s leg and threaded to the brain. This method delivers a much smaller dose of the drug, much more precisely. Doctors have about a six-hour window for this treatment option.
• Removing the clot with the Merci Retrieval device®: This device is fitted to the end of a catheter. When the doctor has placed the catheter next to the clot, he releases the tool, which comes out like a corkscrew and grabs the clot. The tool is then pulled back inside the catheter, bringing the clot with it. Doctors can use this approach until about eight hours after a stroke.
• Suctioning the clot with the Penumbra device®: Like the Merci Retrieval device, the Penumbra fits at the end of the catheter. It is placed next to the clot, and sucks the clot inside the catheter. The Penumbra can also be used until about eight hours after a stroke.

It’s important for patients to note that very few hospitals have the equipment and medical staff to deliver these stroke interventions. Northside Hospital and Tampa Bay Heart Institute is one of the few hospitals in west Florida that offers these neurointerventions. At the Neuroscience Institute, their team of experts has perfected the techniques that save stroke patients’ lives and preserve their brain function.

For more information about stroke care, please contact us at HCA West Florida. Visit us online or call Consult-a-Nurse® at 1-877-442-2362 for answers to your questions and free physician referrals.