Unique mobile emergency room brings stroke care to the patient

Former nurse Karen Blinstrup was wowed when she took her granddaughter to see the Northwestern Medicine Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) at a touch-a-truck event. Little did the Roselle seamstress know that she would soon be receiving life-altering treatment in that very same vehicle.

The only one of its kind in Illinois, Northwestern Medicine’s Mobile Stroke Unit brings the emergency room to the patient. It is equipped with a 16-slice CT scanner, telemedicine connections, a lab and stroke-specific medications. The team includes a critical care nurse, a CT technician, an EMT technician driver, and a critical care paramedic.

“Our Mobile Stroke Unit is delivering life-saving care over 30 minutes faster than traditional transport via ambulance,” said Harish Shownkeen, MD, medical director of the Stroke and Neurointerventional Surgery Programs at Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital. “That is a quantum leap in treating stroke patients. Every minute that passes without oxygen, another 2 million brain cells die.”

For Blinstrup, access to the Mobile Stroke Unit likely saved her from serious long-term effects of stroke. Last October, her husband noticed she seemed a bit off when he came home for lunch, but Blinstrup assured him it was nothing. When he returned a few hours later, Blinstrup could not move her left side and although she thought she was making sense, her speech was garbled.

A call to 9-1-1 dispatched both the Roselle fire department and Northwestern Medicine Mobile Stroke Unit. The clock was ticking. For strokes caused by a blockage of blood flow to the brain, clot-busting drugs must be injected within a 4.5-hour window of onset of symptoms. However, medications cannot be administered until a CT, or other imaging, determines if the stroke is caused by a bleed (hemorrhagic) or a blockage (ischemic).

While parked in Blinstrup’s driveway, the Mobile Stroke Unit team performed a CT scan and communicated with a stroke-trained neurologist via telemedicine. With just minutes to spare, she was given a powerful blood-thinning medication.

“Right after receiving the medication I remember raising my left arm,” said Blinstrup. “I said ‘Hello’ to everyone in the Mobile Stroke Unit.”

Blinstrup was rushed to Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital where the team could bypass the emergency department and take her directly to an interventional lab, where specialists removed a 4cm clot from a cerebral artery.

“My recovery was excellent. When my kids arrived, I could talk with them and had good movement,” said Blinstrup. “My quality of life is what it is today because of Northwestern Medicine. I could be in a totally different circumstance if not for the Mobile Stroke Unit.”

Blinstrup was able to walk out of the hospital with no assistance and didn’t need a post-acute care rehabilitation facility or outpatient physical therapy. She quickly resumed her favorite hobby in time to crochet four gingerbread houses for her children by Christmas.

A long-time volunteer for local school theater programs, she recently sewed costumes for St. Walter Catholic School’s production of Cinderella, including a dazzling gown that transforms from a peasant dress to a ballgown as the actress spins.

“It is extremely rewarding to see our patients return to an active and full life,” said Keely Buffo, RN, CCRN, Northwestern Medicine Mobile Stroke Unit Program. “That can only happen if patients are treated quickly. Please call 9-1-1 at the first sign of stroke.”

Remember: BEFAST.

B: Balance - Is the person suddenly having trouble with balance or coordination?

E: Eyes - Is the person experiencing suddenly blurred or double vision or a sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes without pain?

F: Facial droop

A: Arm weakness on one side

S: Speech difficulty

T: Time to call 911

The Northwestern Medicine Mobile Stroke Unit will be on display at two upcoming events: the Touch-a-truck in Glen Ellyn on May 4th and the Kane County Cougars game on May 19th.

Northwestern Medicine Central DuPage Hospital has earned the Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center designation by The Joint Commission. The highest level of stroke certification, this designation recognizes the significant resources in staff, training and state-of-the-art infrastructure that comprehensive stroke centers must have to treat complex cases.

To learn more about Northwestern Medicine, visit nm.org.