Released: 5/12/2014 3:00 PM EDT Source Newsroom: ProMedica Contact Information
Available for logged-in reporters only
Newswise TOLEDO, Ohio, May 12, 2014 For a patient who suffers a severe ischemic stroke, or blockage of a blood vessel, and who may not be a candidate for the more common medication (tissue plasminogen activator or tPA) that dissolves a clot, another option of treatment is available at ProMedica. Mechanical embolectomy is performed by going through the leg with a catheter to the brain where the clot is located, mechanically retrieving and removing the clot, and restoring critical blood flow.
We have seen immediately improvement in some patients after the clot has been removed, a according to Dr. Mouhammad Jumaa, medical director of the ProMedica Stroke Network.
To determine where the clot is located, doctors perform a brain-computed tomography scan, or brain CT scan, by injecting a contrast dye into the carotid artery. The dye helps make the artery visible on x-ray pictures and provides clear, detailed images of the brain as soon as possible after a stroke is suspected. In mechanical embolectomy, when clot-dissolving medication is not prescribed, a stent is used to capture and remove the clot. As with any invasive procedure, risks are involved. However, with mechanical embolectomy, these risks can be minimized.
We are having very good outcomes especially for those patients who do not qualify for tPA, says Dr. Jumaa.
Stroke is a very common disease. According to the National Stroke Association, approximately 795,000 strokes will occur this year in the United States, one occurring every 40 seconds, and take a life approximately every four minutes.
It is important for patients to know their risk factors which can contribute to a stroke, including high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol. One factor that can potentially cause a stroke is atrial defibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat. Another is carotid artery stenosis, which causes clot-forming and a narrowing of the vessels due to the build-up of cholesterol.
Fifty percent of patients do not survive a stroke. For those who do, they survive with a disability, says Dr. Jumaa.
Within the first 24 hours of being hospitalized, doctors perform a series of screenings to provide quicker diagnosis and treatment, and to help prevent recurring strokes.
Read the original:
ProMedica Provides Treatment When Traditional Stroke Approach is Not an Option