KIRKLAND, Wash., Jan. 3, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Last fall, Mill Creek resident and avid marathoner Jeff Knakal experienced a sudden weakness on the right side of his body and had difficulty speaking. His wife recognized the symptoms as signs of a stroke, and called 911. When he arrived at the EvergreenHealth Medical Center emergency department, the hospital's award-winning team of stroke specialists got to work to diagnose the cause of the otherwise healthy man's symptoms.
Knakal was acutely attuned to his own body. As a veteran runner who logs hundreds of miles per year, he was in exceptional physical health and was in the midst of training for the New York Marathon, then just one week away, when he was sidelined by the attack.
"I went from training for a marathon to spending the night in the hospital and had no idea what put me there," said 52-year-old Knakal.
EvergreenHealth's emergency stroke treatment team, which relies on the collaboration of doctors across a range of specialties from emergency care to neurology, cardiology and hospitalist medicine, quickly intervened to treat his symptoms and identify the cause as a TIA, or transient ischemic attack essentially a stroke that resolves, but is a serious warning that another stroke may happen again.
Though his stroke symptoms quickly resolved on their own, diagnostic tests performed by his multi-disciplinary team revealed a heart condition that contributed to the TIA and put Knakal at greater risk for a stroke in the future. He is among the 20 percent of Americans who have a condition called patent foramen ovale a hole between the sides of his heart. It's also likely that genetics played a factor his doctors identified an increase in his cholesterol, despite his active lifestyle.
Within mere hours, EvergreenHealth's specialists helped Knakal understand why he had the attack, and the lifestyle and medication changes he needed to make to prevent future strokes.
"My doctors understood me, not just my symptoms. In such a scary moment, that made all the difference," said Knakal.
Recognizing his resolve to keep running, the EvergreenHealth team developed a comprehensive aftercare plan incorporating regular care from a cardiologist, neurologist and a team of pharmacists at the EvergreenHealth Anticoagulation Clinic to keep Knakal healthy for the long-term and allow him to continue training for future marathons.
Today, Knakal is celebrating his personal record-setting Seattle Marathon performance, which he managed to achieve just one month after suffering his attack. He continues to undergo additional testing and treatment by his multi-disciplinary team to prevent future incidences.
"We focus on caring for each patient as a person who is going through a life changing event," said David Likosky, MD, medical director of the stroke program at EvergreenHealth. "Our collaborative approach requires quick action as a team to treat patients in need of the most time-critical diagnoses. Our success depends on tight communication, the highest level of performance from providers in a range of specialties and planning across all the major systems of the hospital."
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EvergreenHealth stroke treatment helps patients overcome setbacks, meet goals