SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton: Rapid Response Aids Recovery For Stroke Patient

Press release from SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton:

February 28, 2022

The signs and symptoms of a stroke can be hard to distinguish. For James Schloeman, it was a September evening when he knew something was wrong. He woke up feeling paralyzed, unable to move.

“I was just stuck right there,” Schloeman said. “It wasn’t registering that I had a stroke. I couldn’t talk, and then I rolled off the bed, and then I must have been there for about three hours waiting for my wife to wake up.”

His wife found him on the floor and immediately called 911. Schloeman was originally taken to a hospital nearby but was quickly sent to SSM Health DePaul Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri - a Level 1 Stroke center. The hospital offers a wide array of neuroendovascular care – which was crucial in preventing lasting damage from Schloeman’s stroke. When every second counts, our experienced team of neurologists, neuro-interventionists, neurosurgeons, stroke nurse practitioners, stroke coordinators, ER physicians, radiologists, dedicated nurses and clinicians work together to deliver life-saving treatment.

Once doctors identified that Schloeman suffered a stroke, they wheeled him into the operating room where they found not one, but two blood clots on his brain. Physicians removed them through a thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure where a catheter is inserted in the groin and snaked up to the brain to remove blood clots quickly – aiming to restore brain function.

Following the procedure, Schloeman was transferred to the on-site recovery unit at SSM Health DePaul Hospital.

“I was there for a week,” Schloeman said. “For the first two or three days, I couldn’t walk. I got a lot of my mobility back and then I was in outpatient rehab.”

He spent months in outpatient rehab, participating in physical, occupational and verbal therapy. Although it’s only been five months since his stroke, he’s working to regain his progress in karate and guitar playing but still suffers from brain fog.

Says Schloeman: “I’m pretty lucky.”

Dr. Chizoba Ezepue is an interventional neurologist at SSM Health DePaul Hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. He stresses the key to stroke recovery is recognizing symptoms quickly and getting the patient to a Level 1 Stroke Center as fast as possible.

“We always say, time is brain,” Ezepue said. “The most important thing for acute stroke is getting the patient to the facility where the or she can get the care they need. With every minute that passes, there is loss of brain cells,” Ezepue said. “Once the stroke starts, the cascade that sets in leads to loss of tissue in the brain; the neurons begin to die. Every effort you make to limit the number of neurons that die will lead to a better outcome.”

Every 40 seconds, someone in the U.S. has a stroke. In fact, stroke is the cause of 1 out of every 20 deaths. It is also the leading cause of long-term disability.

How do you spot the signs and symptoms of a stroke?

Balance –loss of balance or coordination

Eyes – vision in one or both eyes disappears

Face – one or both sides of the face may droop

Arms – numbness or weakness in one arm

Speech -- slurred or garbled speech; confusion

Time – Call 911 right away. Paramedics are trained to take stroke patients to the highest level stroke center, even if that means passing by a closer hospital

Understanding your risk factors for a stroke is the first step in prevention – and can save your life. Take the SSM Health stroke health risk assessment today. Information partially provided by FOX2Now.

This press release was produced by SSM Health St. Clare Hospital - Fenton. The views expressed here are the author’s own.