A new technique is making it easier for doctors to stop the clots that cause strokes. In this edition of Healthy Living, YNN's Erin Billups tells us about the technical trial that is saving lives in a matter of minutes.
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One week before Robert Skibo, 78, was completely paralyzed on his left side, he was shopping at Walgreens when he fell.
"I said I'm having a freakin' stroke," said Skibo.
Skibo was rushed to Lutheran Medical Center's Stroke Center.
"When the blood stops going to part of the brain, the brain starts to die. The faster you can restore blood flow, the better the outcome," said Dr. Jeffrey Farkas, neurosurgeon.
For Skibo, and five other patients at Lutheran Medical Center, the massive clot was removed in a matter of minutes. A new three dimension x-ray machine gives surgeons a road map to the clot causing the stroke.
"We clean off the area around the leg and then we put a small needle into the artery," explained Farkas.
They then weave the flexible 5-Max Ace Reperfusion catheter up to the clot location in the brain. The tool is also wide enough to place a tube inside.
"By attaching it to a powerful vacuum we can suction out the clots within one to two minutes as opposed to one to two hours," said Farkas.
More:
New x-ray machine detects clots to save stroke patients