 |
The American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Stroke Association (ASA) define DTN time as the amount of time between a patient's arrival to the hospital and the time he or she receives tPA.
Stephanie Turner, Stroke Coordinator at PMC, said, "We know the faster we move now, the better our patient's chance of moving later. This door-to-needle time of three minutes sets a new Pikeville Medical Center record, and it's the fastest time in Kentucky this year for treating a stroke patient."
She continued, "At the time of arrival, the patient could not communicate and was experiencing slurring of speech, right-sided weakness and constricted leg movement. The quick and professional treatment given by our Acute Stroke Care Team allowed the patient to be sent home from the hospital in two days, suffering no disabilities."
PMC has the only Primary Stroke Center in the area and was recently awarded the AHA's and ASA's Get with the Guidelines Stroke Gold Plus Award.
According to Dr. Ahmed, the patient and his wife chose PMC because they heard about its award-winning Primary Stroke Center.
Dr. Ahmed commends PMC's Acute Stroke Care Team, Neurologist Dr. Sujata Gutti and all of the ED, Neurosurgery, Critical Care and Inpatient Physical Rehabilitation staff who work together every day to provide life-saving treatment.
He also praised those who treated the patient prior to arrival. "PMC would not have been able to achieve this record-breaking DTN time without the quick patient assessment and transfer to PMC's ED by Dr. Mansoor Mahmood and the exceptional communication provided by Emergency Medical Services."
PMC's Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Acute Stroke Care Team, ED and CT/MRI technicians are available 24/7 to quickly identify and treat patients suffering from a stroke.
To ensure someone suffering from a stroke receives the care he or she needs in a timely manner, PMC encourages everyone to learn the signs of stroke and call 9-1-1 at the onset of symptoms.
Sources: American Heart Association; American Stroke Association
Stroke Signs
F.A.S.T is an easy way to remember the sudden signs of stroke. When you can spot the signs, you'll know that you need to call 9-1-1 for help right away. F.A.S.T. is:
Face drooping - Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person's smile uneven?
Arm Weakness - Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
Speech Difficulty - Is speech slurred? Is the person unable to speak or hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like "The sky is blue." Is the sentence repeated correctly?
Time to call 9-1-1 - When someone shows any of the above symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, call 9-1-1 and get that person to the hospital immediately. Check the time so you'll know when the first symptoms appeared.
Beyond F.A.S.T. - Other Symptoms You Should Know:
Sudden numbness or weakness of the leg
Sudden confusion or trouble 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
Source:
http://strokeassociation.org