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Neuroscience Center To Focus On Strokes

Tribune photo by D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

The neuroscience nursing floor features a spacious state-of-the-art nursing station where registered nurses specializing in the treatment of strokes and other brain disorders will monitor up to 30 patients.

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By D'ANN LAWRENCE WHITE

@tampatrib.com

Published: December 24, 2008

BRANDON - Whether it's a room full of Rotarians or simply an interested individual they encounter at the grocery store, registered nurses Melissa Cole and Kathy Harrison never miss an opportunity to get the word out about the signs and symptoms of a stroke.

It's not that they're alarmists although they have cause. Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the United States behind heart attacks and cancer. It's just that they know awareness of the signs and symptoms of a stroke can mean the difference between a complete recovery and permanent disability or death.

That's why they were thrilled when a stroke victim recently came into the emergency room at Brandon Regional Hospital, where they work as members of the Stroke Team. The patient immediately recognized the symptoms of a stroke because his wife had posted a magnet listing them on their refrigerator. She received the free magnet from Cole when she spoke at her workplace.

"I was amazed," said Harrison. "He did exactly what he was supposed to do. He called 911 and didn't try to drive himself to the hospital. He was here within 20 to 30 minutes of the onset of his stroke. That shows us the education is working."

Unfortunately, said Harrison, nine out of 10 people have no idea that they've had a stroke, a condition that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted, causing brain cells to be deprived of oxygen. As a result, they do not get to the emergency room within the three-hour window in which doctors can administer the major clot-buster medication, intravenous t-PA. Studies have shown that intravenous t-PA administered within three hours of a stroke can stop the progression and even reverse the effects of a stroke within 15 minutes. Without the clot buster, brain cells die, causing disability or death.

However, the outcome is much brighter for patients treated at Primary Stroke Centers. That's the reason Brandon Regional Hospital sought certification from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations to become a Primary Stroke Center, said Harrison, who has been working with stroke patients for 15 years and opened the stroke unit at Manatee Memorial Hospital before coming to Brandon in February.

As a Primary Stroke Center, Brandon Regional has a team consisting of emergency medicine physicians, neurologists, CT technicians, phlebotomists, certified nurses and therapists trained to recognize and treat strokes. In fact, the Brandon Stroke Team earned the national Bronze Performance Achievement Award for treatment guidelines from the American Heart/American Stroke Association.

And, starting Jan. 6, the hospital will be able to offer more comprehensive care for stroke patients as well as patients with epilepsy, hydrocephalus, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, spinal disorders, brain tumors and nerve disorders such as carpal tunnel syndrome.

The hospital will open its Neuroscience Center encompassing the fourth floor of Tower A.

With the help of a temporary exterior elevator that kept 150 construction workers and equipment outside the hospital, David Park, director of facilities management construction and healthcare for the hospital, was able to complete the project in eight months.

"We're very pleased," he said. "In fact, we ended up with a couple of weeks of extra time to fine tune everything."

The unit contains 30 patient rooms including four rooms with monitoring systems dedicated to patients with epilepsy. Harrison said the nurses appreciate the extra-large rooms that permit them to navigate bulky equipment and immobile patients. All patient rooms have televisions with access to patient education videos that will be a requirement of discharge.

"The lounge chairs are higher so it's easier for the patients to get in and out of, and for the nurses to help the patients get in and out of," said Harrison.

Television screens throughout patient and family waiting rooms broadcast the Care Channel, featuring soothing music and picturesque scenes shown to reduce anxiety and stress.

There also are 10 intensive care beds.

"That's a big deal," said Harrison, "to have the ICU on the same unit. Right now I have to visit 14 units to see all of my patients."

Although, in many ways, the brain is still a mystery, Harrison said research is producing new drugs and techniques for treating brain disorders all the time.

"It's an exciting field to work in. It amazes me to see patients walk out of here that we would have put in a nursing home 10 years ago. It's a wonderful thing," said Harrison, who has a personal interest in reducing the incidence of strokes. Three years ago, at the age of 38, she had a mini stroke and now takes a cholesterol-reducing drug.

"My family has a history of high LDL, the bad cholesterol, so I've had to make an effort to keep it under 100. There's no magic cure but there are risk factors you can change, like smoking. If you quit smoking, you decrease your risk of a stroke by 50 percent within a year, by 80 percent within two years," she said.

STROKE SYMPTOMS

Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body

Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding

Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes

Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination

Sudden severe headache with no known cause

If you feel these warning signs or notice one or more of these symptoms in another person, call 911 immediately.

Reporter D'Ann Lawrence White can be reached at (813) 657-4524 or dlwhite@tampatrib.com.

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