Stroke
Stroke is a condition that occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. When blood flow is blocked or lost, localized damage occurs, causing a stroke. There are two main types of stroke, ischemic and hemorrhagic. During an ischemic stroke, the blood flow is blocked by a clot or narrowing of the blood vessel. Eighty percent of all strokes are ischemic. A hemorrhagic stroke is when a blood vessel ruptures or breaks and causes bleeding in or around the brain.
Mission of the Primary Stroke Center
The Primary Stroke Center (PSC) is dedicated to providing the community and our patients with the best in stroke prevention and care. The PSC has a specially trained team of physicians, nurses, therapists and technicians available around the clock to provide appropriate treatment quickly so as to maximize the outcome and ultimately the quality of life for our patients.
To learn more about the Primary Stroke Center at Baptist Medical Center South, please visit the following pages:
What is Mechanical Thrombectomy?
Mechanical Thrombectomy involves inserting a catheter into a blood vessel in the groin which is then taken all the way up to the site of the clot in the blood vessel in the brain.
A special device called a stent retriever is then advanced through the catheter, under the guidance of X-ray imaging, to reach the clot. The stent retriever is then allowed to expand and engage the clot. The clot is then retrieved while simultaneously resuming the blood flow to the brain. stent retriever within the catheter is then utilized, guided by x-ray guided imaging, to reach beyond the clot. This technique expands the walls of the artery allowing increased blood flow and the ultimate retrieval of the blood clot.
Mechanical Thrombectomy Services at Baptist Medical Center South
Serving as Central Alabama’s sole provider of life-saving thrombectomy services and one of only six facility providers in Alabama, Baptist Medical Center South is ready when a stroke impacts you or your loved one.
Stroke is the 5th leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States with approximately 795,000 strokes each year. 87% of those strokes are ischemic strokes – meaning that every minute matters. While Baptist Health continues to provide tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) for these strokes when medically appropriate, we now partner that treatment model with Mechanical Thrombectomy.
Mechanical Thrombectomy is the gold standard of care – bridging the treatment gap when minutes make the difference for a lifetime. When patients are unable to receive tPA due to arriving at the hospital outside the brief treatment window where it is a medically appropriate course of treatment or for those cases where contraindications exist for a patient with the use of tPA, Mechanical Thrombectomy is the next step in cutting edge stroke care.
Mechanical Thrombectomy is now the treatment of choice for the treatment of Large Vessel Occlusion Acute Ischemic Strokes. Current estimates show a minimum of 20% and potentially as much as 40% of Ischemic strokes are actually Large Vessel Occlusions (LVOs). Approximately 138,000 to 276,000 Acute Ischemic Strokes could benefit from Mechanical Thrombectomy, yet the annual number of Mechanical Thrombectomies in the United States is around 10,200. Baptist South knows that these numbers could represent your life or the life of your loved one – and we’re here to make life-changing differences, one patient at a time. We are here for YOU.
Baptist Medical Center South is honored to bring needed Thrombectomy services to Central Alabama as we continue educational efforts in the community to help identify possible LVOs in the field. These steps allow patients the needed time to be transferred into our care.
As the saying goes: “Time is Brain.” Baptist Health’s Mechanical Thrombectomy allows time and services offered to be on your side.
What are the advantages of Mechanical Thrombectomy?
This breakthrough treatment in stroke is key to removing blood clots at the location of impact – the brain. Clot removal creates more successful outcomes for patients with mobility and increased independence possibilities leading the way.
The efficacy, timeliness and safety of Mechanical Thrombectomy partnered with medical treatments and tPA as medically appropriate significantly reduces the rates of disability and mortality traditionally associated with stroke.
Useful Links
The American Heart Association and American Heart Association recognize this hospital for achieving 85% or higher adherence to all Get With The Guidelines Stroke Performance Achievement indicators for 12-month intervals and 75% or higher compliance on at least 5 of the Get With The Guidelines Stroke Measures to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.