Miracle number one was that I had my lifejacket on, said McNaughton, who likes to fish from his kayak. I happened to be on shore, but I hadnt bothered to take it off. He had promised his wife Arlette Raaen that he would wear his lifejacket whenever near the water fishing.
As the stroke hit, McNaughton dove headfirst into the water. A person who regularly fishes in the area and knows McNaughton saw him go into the water and ran over to assist him.
After he had recovered somewhat, Raaen told him how shocked the man was to see McNaughton dive in the water at that moment. He said I knew that Chris is a real avid fisherman, but when he went teeth-first for the fish I thought that was a little overboard, recounted McNaughton.
While in the water, he did not realize what was happening to him but remembers thinking about the effect drinking so much saltwater was going to have on his digestion. Little did I know, he added.
BC Ambulance Service and Malaspina Volunteer Fire Department came to McNaughtons aid and he was taken to Powell River General Hospital (PRGH).
Miracle number two was the fact that the right doctors for someone with his condition were on duty at that time and that the hospital was in the process of bringing a telestroke program online.
Its very hard to get someone down to the city within the four hours, said Lu Wuthrich, PRGH acute services manager, who over the past two years has taken the lead in establishing a telestroke program at the hospital. If its longer than four hours its not very effective.
Patients who suffer ischemic strokes, where a clot in a blood vessel restricts or blocks the flow of blood and oxygen in the brain, have approximately four hours to take a clot-dissolving medication tPA (tissue plasminogen activator).
The telestroke program gives patients who arrive with the symptoms of stroke a chance to meet a neurologist face to face and save precious time. Though emergency room physicians are experienced in diagnosing and treating patients suffering strokes, sometimes in complex cases where tPA might be useful, doctors can turn to a neurologist for extra assistance. Video conferencing and information-sharing technology allows a neurologist to examine and advise the emergency room physician about the best treatment plan for a particular stroke.
Eighty per cent of strokes are ischemic and 20 per cent are hemorrhagic, where a blood vessel ruptures and blood leaks into the brain, according to information from the heart and stroke foundation.
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Councillor returns home after stroke