New Device for Stroke Victims May Save Your Life
Posted on 11/5/2008
If you are one of the 600,000 Americans who may suffer from an ischemic stroke this year, there is a new device that may change your life. An ischemic stroke is caused when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked by a blood clot, which can impair brain function and cause severe disability or death. Restoring blood flow to the brain is critical.
The Merci Retriever is a new option for patients that suffer from an ischemic stroke. This device allows doctors to actually remove the clot and restore blood flow to the patient. Brent Herbel, MD, Interventional Radiologist at St. Alexius Medical Center is the first and only physician to use this device in North Dakota.
“The Merci Retriever is a revolutionary tool for patients coming to St. Alexius Medical Center who have suffered an ischemic stroke,” says Dr. Herbel. “By capturing and removing the blood clot and restoring blood flow to the brain, patients will hopefully make a full recovery, when they would have otherwise been severely disabled for the rest of their life.”
Prior to FDA approval of the Merci Retriever, doctors had limited options for treating ischemic stroke victims. “The only treatment available was a clot-busting drug, which must be given to the patient within three hours of the stroke,” says Ralph Dunnigan, MD, a Neurologist, who is a member of St. Alexius Medical Center’s Medical Staff. “However, many people don’t recognize the onset of a stroke within this time frame, making them ineligible for the drug.”
To retrieve the clot, doctors insert the Merci Retriever, which looks like a corkscrew, through a small hole in the patient’s groin. The device is fed through an artery that leads to the brain. Once the device reaches the clot, it captures it and removes the clot from the area, restoring blood flow to the brain, and hopefully reversing the damage caused by the stroke.
Symptoms of stroke include:
- Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Confusion with speech or inability to speak normally
- Sudden loss of vision in one or both eyes
- Sudden onset of dizziness or loss of balance or trouble walking
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
If you or someone you know is experiencing symptoms of stroke, seek medical attention immediately.