By Dr. James Roach/ Emergency Department Medical Director, Broward Health Coral Springs
To increase a stroke patient’s chance of survival and quality of life, Broward Health Coral Springs (BHCS) is utilizing cutting edge technology and efficient process improvements. The technology includes telemedicine, CT angiography, and rapid triage protocols, which allow BHCS to quickly evaluate and treat patients suffering from stroke due to a blood clot in the brain. These processes have led to BHCS being awarded the prestigious “Gold Plus Award” and “Target Stroke” by the American Stroke Association.
The crucially important step for stroke patients is that they are immediately brought to the closest emergency department and evaluated by a physician. Treatment guidelines call for administering thrombolytics (clot busting medication) to stroke patients as quickly as possible, ideally within three hours of onset and within 60 minutes of arrival to the Emergency Department. At BHCS’ Primary Stroke Center, we not only follow these guidelines, but have an added benefit that most community hospitals do not. We screen for large vessel clots using CT angiography and utilize a rapid triage protocol to facilitate diagnosis and treatment. This protocol allows patients to be rapidly evaluated (within minutes) by an Emergency Medicine Physician and a Neurologist. If the patients meet inclusion/exclusion criteria for thrombolytics and intervention, both can be initiated rapidly. The thrombolytic therapy is initiated and the patients are transferred to Broward Health North for interventional therapy. This process is referred to as “drip and ship”. This screening process allows BHCS to preserve even more valuable time to help further evaluate treatment needs before patients are transported.
Another unique process to Broward Health is that we are the only hospital system in Broward County to utilize telemedicine to evaluate brain attacks, a system that allows neurologists to interact with stroke patients via mobile devices and tablet computers. The ED physician and the neurologist connect through the telemedicine secure server. The neurologist is able to see the stroke patient and quickly assess the patient’s condition, deciding whether or not they will need to receive the clot busting medication within 60 minutes or less. Telemedicine allows for an immediate diagnosis and action, no longer having to account for physician travel time to the site where medication can be administered. Telemedicine provides physicians the chance to rapidly evaluate patients and expedite the most appropriate care. This Father’s Day, make sure the men in your life know the symptoms for stroke, it could save their lives. Strokes are the fourth leading cause of death in men, yet most men can’t name one stroke symptom.
Stroke Warning Signs
• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, swallowing 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
• If you experience these symptoms, dial 911! Approximately 2 million brain cells die with every minute of restricted blood flow to the brain. Rest assured that in matters of acute stroke, Broward Health Coral Springs, as a Primary Stroke Center, understands that time lost is brain lost.
For more information, log onto www.BrowardHealth.org/BHCS