Stroke team goes above and beyond for young sufferer

UTICA, N.Y. » Stroke is a disease that affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. It occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or ruptures. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so the brain cells die.

Stroke is the number five cause of death and a leading cause of disability in the United States. And it can happen to anyone.

Areanna Ramsey, a 17-year-old New Hartford High School student, was getting ready for work one afternoon when suddenly she lost feeling in one side of her body. She fell to the floor and couldn’t speak.

“One minute I was talking, packing my backpack for work, and the next, I was on the floor and couldn’t move or speak,” said Ramsey. “It was a terrifying experience. It happened so suddenly and without any warning.”

The family immediately called 911. The ambulance picked Ramsey up within minutes and headed for Rome Memorial Hospital since she was at her father’s house in Rome, N.Y. However, as they examined Ramsey, they felt her symptoms were indicating a stroke – as unlikely as that would be for a 17-yearold. They quickly changed course and headed to the St. Luke’s Campus of the Mohawk Valley Health System (MVHS), as it is the only designated Primary Stroke Center in the Mohawk Valley.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers receive training to take stroke patients to the nearest stroke center as time is extremely critical when treating stroke patients. They no- tified the St. Luke’s Emergency Department (ED) that theywere bringing in a suspected stroke patient which set the Stroke Team in motion.

The Stroke Team was ready when the ambulance arrived with Ramsey.

“When Areanna arrived in the ED, she was displaying signs of confusion, had difficulty speaking and, while she was able to move her right side, it was extremely weak,” said Dr. Scott S. Brehaut, medical director for Stroke and Neurocritical Care. “We entertained all of the possibilities, but with those symptoms, you have to think stroke at the top of the list, even in younger patients.

“The first computed tomography (CT) scan came back negative, but based on Areanna’s confusion and language we wanted to be thorough,” he said. “We performed a CT angiogram of her head and neck since it provides a more detailed look at the blood vessels. The second scan showed therewas a total blockage in the first branch of the middle artery on her left side and therewas no blood flow beyond.”

According to the standards of care for stroke, the first step is administering intravenous therapy (IV) TPA, a clot-busting medication, followed by the removal of the clot. Clot removal requires a team of specially trained doctors and a very high-tech piece of equipment which MVHS recently invested in to treat patients like Areanna.

The standards of care regarding strokes are for individuals 18 years and older. Since Ramsey was only 17, the Stroke Team needed her parents’ consent before administering the TPA and performing the clot re- trieval.

“Dr. Brehaut told us Areanna was having a stroke and that her father and I needed to make some important decisions right away – my heart dropped,” said Alicia Ramsey, Areanna’s mother. “After the explanation of what was happening and how the treatments could save her, we gave permission.”

Ramsey received the TPA andwas then brought to the endovascular suites where Dr. Q. Tony Wang, interventional neurologist at MVHS, made a small incision in her groin, inserted a catheter and removed the clot.

“The surgery took 24 minutes and when I woke up, I was perfectly fine,” said Ramsey. “When I opened my eyes, Dr. Wang told me to talk, and I could. I just kept saying thank you over and over again. I could walk within a day, which was completely insane considering my condition when I came to the hospital. I am so grateful to everyone who took care of me.”

Ramsey was in the Intensive Care Unit at St. Luke’s for three days before going home. She has experienced some spastic attacks to her right hand as an after-effect of the stroke and is working with Brehaut to treat these attacks.

When asked what message shewould like to share she said, “I want people to know that anyone can have a stroke and the timing is so important. I was told many times that if any part of my situation was different and treatment was delayed, my outcomes would have been very different. I am so grateful that we have these services in our area. It’s scary to think about what might have happened if I needed to travel further for treatment.”