Saint Barnabas Medical Center Opens Neurointervention Suite to Remove Stroke Causing Blood Clots

March 9, 2011 - PRLog -- Saint Barnabas Medical Center recently opened a new state-of-the-art Neurointerventional Suite equipped with the most advanced technology to provide the highest level of care for patients and their families suffering from stroke, aneurysm and other neurovascular disorders.  It used to be that when an individual arrived in the Emergency Department experiencing an ischemic stroke, the only treatment option available was the administration of  intravenous tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) and only if the individual arrived within three hours of the onset of symptoms.  This medication was given to break up the clot so that blood flow would resume in an effort to minimize the effects of the stroke. Although it worked well for some people, it was not appropriate for all types of strokes and the timing was critical.

Today, in a Comprehensive Stroke Center, like Saint Barnabas Medical Center, when a patient arrives in the Emergency Department, the Medical Center’s Brain Attack Team is immediately activated. The team evaluates the patient to see if tPA is appropriate and simultaneously activates the neurointerventional team to evaluate the patient as a possible neurointervention candidate. If eligible, the neurointerventional suite is prepared so that the endovascular neurosurgeon can remove the clot from the brain to restore blood flow, in the hopes of minimizing the damage from the stroke.

“In the past, if a person suffering from a stroke did not arrive in time for tPA, the options were very limited. With neurointervention, life-saving treatment can occur within the first eight hours expanding the window for care and revolutionizing the treatment for these people,” states John F. Bonamo, MD, MS, Executive Director, Saint Barnabas Medical Center.   “Neurointervention is transformational as it can eliminate devastating side effect for certain patients.”

Under the leadership of board-certified neurologists, The Stroke Center at Saint Barnabas has a team of medical and surgical professionals, available around the clock, who specialize in the rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke. Stroke is a medical emergency. Everyone should be aware of the signs and symptoms (see sidebar) of stroke. If you or your loved one is suffering from a stroke, seek emergency care immediately and call 911.  For information about stroke services available at Saint Barnabas Medical Center and for a refrigerator magnet with the signs, please call 973-322-9742.

Sidebar

Signs and Symptoms of Stroke
•   Sudden weakness, numbness or paralysis of the arm, leg, face or side of the body.
•   Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes or double vision.
•   Sudden fall, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
•   Sudden intense or unexplained headache.
•   Trouble talking or understanding speech or loss of memory.

F.A.S.T. is an easy way to identify a possible stroke:

Face   Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
Arm   Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech   Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, i.e., “Today is a beautiful day.” Can he/she correctly repeat the sentence? Does the speech sound garbled or slurred?
Time   If the answer to any of the above is yes, it is time to act. Call 911 immediately to get the person to the emergency room quickly. Lost time is lost brains cells.

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Saint Barnabas Medical Center is a 597-bed, acute care teaching hospital. For more information call 1-888-SBHS-123.