WBH, U of L partner for stroke program
By Alan Reed areed@paducahsun.com
Thursday, October 01, 2009
The University of Louisville and the Western Baptist Hospital Heart Center announced a partnership Wednesday to treat and prevent strokes aided by a $300,000 grant for treatment and education.
University of Louisville President Dr. James Ramsey said stroke and heart disease are the leading causes of death in western Kentucky.
The grant comes from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through the Kentucky Department for Public Health.
Dr. Jacqueline Carter, a neurologist and stroke specialist at Western Baptist, said the grant money would be used to educate the community on recognizing symptoms of stroke, training paramedics to provide rapid triage and treatment of stroke, and providing the hospital with the latest diagnostics and treatments available.
One diagnostic tool is a mobile robot, complete with camera, diagnostic tools and a monitor to display a University of Louisville physician. Dr. Alex Abou-Chebl, director of neurological intervention at the Louisville hospital, appeared on the robot’s screen and was rolled into the room.
“It’s like being two places at once,” Abou-Chebl said. “Through specialized imaging, we can detect if we need to remove clots or introduce medicines directly to the brain.”
Carter said the robot allows a physician in Louisville to examine a patient with a stethoscope and read imagery. Through the robot and with feedback from the patient and family members, a physician can determine if a patient is within a three-hour window for a treatment with a blood clot dissolving drug called TPA (tissue plasminogen activator), or if the patient should be transported to a more specialized facility for surgical clot extraction.
Western Baptist plans to become a hub for area hospitals to treat stroke cases. In turn, it would transfer patients beyond their scope of care to Louisville for advanced treatment.
Carter added the southern region of the nation is known as the “Stroke Belt,” given the high number of cases reported each year. She attributed the higher incidence to poor diet, lack of exercise, high use of tobacco products, increased hypertension and a greater presence of African Americans and Hispanics — the two leading demographics for stroke.
Talley Holshouser, 69, said he is alive after a stroke, and free from paralysis and other side effects, thanks to TPA administered by Western Baptist Hospital. While visiting his daughter in Metropolis, Ill., on Aug. 19, Holshouser said he was making barbecue sauce when his left arm went numb.
“I told my wife not to get excited, but I knew something major was going on,” Holshouser said. “It’s a miracle what they’ve done for me.”
Within the three-hour window, Holshouser received TPA treatment. Carter said patients who do not fall within that window can still be treated effectively, although time is important.
Holshouser said he has no lingering effects from the stroke. After Wednesday’s press conference, he said he was driving to Gulf Shores, Ala., with his wife, Sandra, to spend the winter.
Brad Hughes
KSBA Member Support Services
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Release Date: 10/1/2009
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