CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Experts at Charleston Area Medical Center are working hard to give stroke victims a fighting chance at recovery.
The Advanced Stroke Life Support course has been offered at CAMC's General Hospital for two years.
The program is offered to paramedics and first responders from all over the region and has been taken by more than 50 first responders from Kanawha, Putnam, Lincoln, Cabell and Monroe counties.
Deb Rectenwald, the registered nurse who coordinates the course, said the program expands on the skills paramedics are taught about recognizing the signs of stroke and taking steps in the precious minutes that follow.
A stroke is caused when the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain is cut off by either a blood clot or debris in the artery, according to the Mayo Clinic's website. Strokes also can be caused by bleeding in the brain, the website said.
Some of the signs paramedics are trained to look for are taught on the Cincinnati Stroke Scale. Using the acronym F.A.S.T., first responders look at the person's face for signs of a droop on one side or both; check their arms to see if they drift when the person is asked to hold them out; detect whether the patient's speech is slurred or strange; and ask the time the patient began showing symptoms.
"With this course the first responders really get a better understanding of what they're looking at," Rectenwald said.
Understanding and communication can speed up the process of getting the patient the appropriate care, she said. Time is everything when dealing with a patient having a stroke, Rectenwald said.
"We want to get (the patient) to the appropriate hospital to see if they are eligible for tPA, the only FDA-approved medication for stroke victims, which if they are needs to be administered in the early stages of stroke," Rectenwald said.
Tissue plasminogen activators (tPA) are clot-busting drugs that can be given only to patients suffering the most common type of stroke within the first four or five hours of the attack, according to the Mayo Clinic. The drug can be administered intravenously or by a catheter directly inserted in the patient's brain.
Rectenwald said if the drug is administered early enough, it can reduce the long-term effects of the stroke. She said within three hours of the stroke is the best window of time for the medication.
The course is taught in one day over the course of eight hours and is free to first responders and medical staff. It was developed by experts in emergency care and stroke treatment as part of a statewide effort to raise stroke awareness amongst first responders.
"We have lecture time, but the biggest thing we do are hands-on examinations with instructors," Rectenwald said. "We also have a video we show with actors portraying stroke victims.
"They say it's not as long as they think because they are learning so it goes fast."
Rectenwald said course participants learn the differences between a left-brain stroke and a right-brain stroke and how to distinguish between symptoms that mimic that of a stroke and those that actually are related to stroke. The course also goes into the different types of stroke and the criteria used to determine if the patient is eligible for tPA.
Those who complete the course receive a resource book and a card with helpful tips to carry in their pockets.
Rectenwald said the next phase is to train nurses, specifically those who work in the emergency room, on the same material to ease communication between the first responders and medical professionals.
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Experts at Charleston Area Medical Center are working hard to give stroke victims a fighting chance at recovery.
The Advanced Stroke Life Support course has been offered at CAMC's General Hospital for two years.
The program is offered to paramedics and first responders from all over the region and has been taken by more than 50 first responders from Kanawha, Putnam, Lincoln, Cabell and Monroe counties.
Deb Rectenwald, the registered nurse who coordinates the course, said the program expands on the skills paramedics are taught about recognizing the signs of stroke and taking steps in the precious minutes that follow.
A stroke is caused when the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain is cut off by either a blood clot or debris in the artery, according to the Mayo Clinic's website. Strokes also can be caused by bleeding in the brain, the website said.
Some of the signs paramedics are trained to look for are taught on the Cincinnati Stroke Scale. Using the acronym F.A.S.T., first responders look at the person's face for signs of a droop on one side or both; check their arms to see if they drift when the person is asked to hold them out; detect whether the patient's speech is slurred or strange; and ask the time the patient began showing symptoms.
"With this course the first responders really get a better understanding of what they're looking at," Rectenwald said.
Understanding and communication can speed up the process of getting the patient the appropriate care, she said. Time is everything when dealing with a patient having a stroke, Rectenwald said.
"We want to get (the patient) to the appropriate hospital to see if they are eligible for tPA, the only FDA-approved medication for stroke victims, which if they are needs to be administered in the early stages of stroke," Rectenwald said.
Tissue plasminogen activators (tPA) are clot-busting drugs that can be given only to patients suffering the most common type of stroke within the first four or five hours of the attack, according to the Mayo Clinic. The drug can be administered intravenously or by a catheter directly inserted in the patient's brain.
Rectenwald said if the drug is administered early enough, it can reduce the long-term effects of the stroke. She said within three hours of the stroke is the best window of time for the medication.
The course is taught in one day over the course of eight hours and is free to first responders and medical staff. It was developed by experts in emergency care and stroke treatment as part of a statewide effort to raise stroke awareness amongst first responders.
"We have lecture time, but the biggest thing we do are hands-on examinations with instructors," Rectenwald said. "We also have a video we show with actors portraying stroke victims.
"They say it's not as long as they think because they are learning so it goes fast."
Rectenwald said course participants learn the differences between a left-brain stroke and a right-brain stroke and how to distinguish between symptoms that mimic that of a stroke and those that actually are related to stroke. The course also goes into the different types of stroke and the criteria used to determine if the patient is eligible for tPA.
Those who complete the course receive a resource book and a card with helpful tips to carry in their pockets.
Rectenwald said the next phase is to train nurses, specifically those who work in the emergency room, on the same material to ease communication between the first responders and medical professionals.
CAMC's Stroke Center, located at General Hospital in downtown Charleston, is a nationally certified Primary Stroke Center.
Physicians and nurses at the center are alerted if paramedics are bringing in a potential stroke patient, and patients are evaluated within 10 minutes of their arrival. Treatment options and procedures are to be under way in less than an hour, according to the center's website.
For more information on CAMC's Advanced Stroke Life Support course, contact Deb Rectenwald at 304-388-3776.
Contact writer Ashley B. Craig at ashley.cr...@dailymail.com or 304-348-4850.
Symptoms of a stroke
Experts at CAMC's Stroke Center say symptoms of stroke include:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
F = Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of their face droop?
A = Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S = Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is their speech slurred or strange?
T = Time: When was the last time they were normal? If you observe any of these signs, call 911 immediately.
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Program identifies signs of a stroke