ENGLEWOOD, Colo. When a stroke alert comes through the speakers at HCA HealthONE Swedish, their medical team knows every second counts in order to give patients the best chance at a full recovery.
"We have to go fast. And that's the whole goal is to get them from the door of the hospital whether it's the helipad or the emergency room into the procedure room, that you get the artery open in less than 45 minutes," explained Dr. Don Frei, a neurointerventional surgeon at HCA HealthONE Swedish. "We're probably faster than almost any other center in the world at doing that because our team is ready."
The team performed a mock stroke alert to showcase its rapid response, beginning on the helipad where a patient could first arrive for care.
"I like to say that it's really the pilot who's saving the patient because we can go fast and we don't run into traffic in the air," said Erin Eubank, a flight nurse for HCA HealthONE AirLife. "So we can get the patient, who is usually time-sensitive... from point A to point B as quickly as possible."
Once the patient is brought down from the helipad into the procedure room, a team of medical experts comes together to determine if the patient is having a stroke and evaluate the treatment needed.
"Millions of brain cells can die in a matter of minutes, so we really are dependent on our EMS giving us a report as quickly as possible," explained Dr. Cynthia Dickerson, a neurologist at HCA HealthONE Swedish. "Especially young people who can have strokes, they are very prone to show symptoms getting worse quickly within minutes."
During the mock stroke alert, Dr. Dickerson asked the patient several questions focused on touch, balance, and movement.
"Those questions help me identify, as a neurologist, how likely do I think this is to be a stroke. And if it's a severe stroke, it helps me alert the right team," said Dr. Dickerson.
Technological advancements have helped medical teams like HCA HealthONE Swedish with treatment, but this team understands that time is always of the essence.
"We're treating more and more patients because the indications keep expanding," explained Dr. Frei. "We've been involved in the original thrombectomy trials that showed Level 1 evidence that this is the most effective treatment in medicine period. And we have been working on time efficiencies."
Stroke is the fifth-leading cause of death in the U.S. and can lead to serious long-term disability, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Signs of a stroke include:
Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination Sudden severe headache with no known cause
"There's 800,000 strokes per year in the U.S. Our population keeps getting older. There are risk factors like smoking and hypertension and atrial fibrillation and diabetes that cause hardening of the arteries," Dr. Frei said.
HCA HealthONE Swedish doctors want to educate people on stroke symptoms and the necessary urgency for those who may be having a stroke.
"I think the key is if you're someone out in the population, you have to understand the signs and symptoms of stroke. Call 911. EMS needs to bring the patient to a comprehensive stroke center like Swedish, where we know what to do. Not every hospital does this," Dr. Frei said.
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