Texoma Living Well Magazine May/June 2018 | Page 27
TMC Offers
Life-Saving
Advanced
Stroke Care
W
“You only have a specific window of
time to give tPA,” says Dr. Hansen.
hen
it
comes
to
experiencing
possible
stroke,
your
doctor
will tell you, minutes
matter. John Bowman
of Wapanucka, OK, is a testament to
the importance of being treated at a
Primary Stroke Center, like the one at
Texoma Medical Center (TMC), where
multidisciplinary teams work together
to streamline patient care.
Symptoms of Possible Stroke
Last summer while relaxing in his
home, located about an hour away
from Denison, Mr. Bowman’s speech
suddenly became slurred, and a
friend noticed that his face looked
odd. He called 911, and the EMS
called an Air Evac to fly Mr. Bowman
to TMC for treatment.
Emergency Medical Services
and Hospital Work Together
“Because we received information
from the EMS flight team while the
patient was in transit, we knew how
to prepare,” says TMC emergency
physician Greg Hansen, DO.
According to Dr. Hansen, as soon as
the helicopter landed at TMC, Mr.
Bowman was brought immediately to
the CT scan room; and when the test
results came in, Dr. Hansen ordered a
dose of the clot-busting drug tPA.
Treatment is FAST
“What was so impressive about this
patient’s care is that it only took seven
minutes for him to receive tPA from the
time he arrived at TMC,” says TMC
stroke program coordinator Jenny
Reeves, RN, SCRN, PCCN.
According to the Get With the
Guidelines 2017 data, approximately
0.5 percent of hospitals administer
tPA in under 10 minutes.
To speed up the process for the patient
to be treated appropriately, TMC has
made changes to help patients receive
the care they need fast. For example,
according to Dr. Hansen, instead of
observing the patient in a room first, the
clinical team now meets the patient in
the CT scan room and evaluates them
there. Depending upon the results of the
CT scan, an order is given, and trained
nurses can mix the tPA and administer it
to the patient right away.
“The sooner someone receives treatment
for stroke, the better their outcome can
be,” says Ms. Reeves, who also trains
local long distance and air evac EMS
teams on TMC’s stroke capabilities and
how to evaluate and treat possible stroke
victims while enroute to the hospital.
Recognized for Quality
TMC has advanced certification
as a Primary Stroke Center by The
Joint Commission. The hospital is
equipped with a 24-hour stroke team
and trained emergency department
personnel who provide care in
designated stroke units.
To learn more about the hospital’s stroke services,
visit www.texomamedicalcenter.net/stroke; or call 903-416-5070.
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TEXOMA AREA Living Well Magazine | MAY/JUNE 2018
27