Selected Podcast
I’m at Risk for a Stroke: What Do I Need to Know?
Maggie Poole (RN, BSN, CCRN, SCRN, ASC-BC) talks about the Stroke program at Mobile Infirmary. Ms. Poole explains what it means to be a Joint Commission Certified as Thrombectomy Capable, common misconceptions about strokes, and signs and symptoms.
Featuring:
Maggie Poole, RN, BSN, CCRN, SCRN, ASC-BC
Maggie Poole, RN, BSN, CCRN, SCRN, ASC-BC is a Stroke Coordinator. Transcription:
Joey Wahler: When someone suffers a stroke, time is of the essence for getting prompt and possibly lifesaving medical response. So, we're discussing the Stroke Program at Mobile Infirmary.
This is LIFE Cast, a podcast from Infirmary Health. Thanks for listening. I'm Joey Wahler. Our guest, Maggie Poole, registered nurse and stroke coordinator for Mobile Infirmary. Maggie, thanks for joining us.
Maggie Poole: Hey, how's it going?
Joey Wahler: Going well. How are you?
Maggie Poole: Pretty good.
Joey Wahler: Excellent. So first, what's the age group most susceptible to strokes and what typically causes them?
Maggie Poole: So the most common age group that we see is generally in the 60 to 80-year range. But a big misconception of stroke is that it can actually happen at any age. So even young people as early as their 20s can actually suffer from a stroke. As far as symptoms and causes, the causes that we see are most commonly are going to be uncontrolled hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes, as well as smoking. And then, of course, atrial fibrillation. And of course, obesity as well.
Joey Wahler: So other than trying to control your weight, what are some other ways on our own that we can help to avoid the risk of a stroke?
Maggie Poole: You know, definitely following up with your primary care provider each year. They'll be able to check your cholesterol levels, your A1c and counsel you on the appropriate medications to take because there's medications that we can use to get those blood pressures into a safe range and our cholesterol into a safe range and help control our diabetes.
Joey Wahler: What are the typical signs of a possible stroke? And also, are there any common misconceptions about strokes that you can clear up for us?
Maggie Poole: Yeah. So we always like to use the acronym BE FAST. So that stands for balance. So we're looking to see if patients have had any change in the way that they walk, maybe they're tripping over their feet now. We look for eye changes. So any kind of change in vision. These are going to be sudden changes too. So any sudden change in vision, blurred vision, double vision, things like that. We look for facial drooping. So one side of the face may droop when they try to smile. We look for arms. So we're looking to see if there's any kind of weakness unilaterally. So maybe one side of their body is weaker than the other and they have sensation changes. We look for changes in speech. So maybe they now have slurred speech, or they may be completely aphasic where they can't communicate with us at all. And then, of course, we teach them that time, time is brain. So we want them to get to the hospital as fast as possible and to, you know, know when the patient was last known well.
Joey Wahler: And in terms of misconceptions, anything that people sometimes miss in the way of symptoms, because they're not aware that it could be a sign of stroke?
Maggie Poole: I don't know if there's necessarily any signs that people don't recognize are a sign of stroke. But I think one of the big misconceptions that we see in the community is that a lot of people don't know that there's options for treatment now. They may not know that we have a few different things that we can do to help treat their strokes.
Joey Wahler: And speaking of which, you led me beautifully into my next question, which is there are different types of strokes? So simply put, what are they? And in a nutshell, how is each typically treated?
Maggie Poole: So the most common type of stroke is going to be the ischemic stroke, which is caused by a clot in the brain. The good news about these strokes is they are typically the most preventable types of strokes. So that's the good news. We do have two great treatment options for those which is TPA, which is basically a clot-buster that helps destroy the clot or we can go in and remove the clot with a thrombectomy. Patients have a certain amount of time to be able to get to the hospital to receive these treatments. We like for them to get there as fast as possible.
And then, with intracranial hemorrhages, that's where there's bleeding in the brain. So a vessel has ruptured and now there's blood in the brain. With these, that's generally caused by hypertension. They are the rarer forms of strokes, but they can be very detrimental to the patient. And we have neurosurgery options and endovascular options for those patients as well.
Joey Wahler: Now, when a stroke patient arrives at mobile infirmary, what are the steps of care they can expect to experience?
Maggie Poole: So from the time that they hit the doors of the emergency department, we have a stroke team that's activated by a stroke code. And so, the neurologist will meet them down in CT and assess the patient to determine what the best course of treatment is for them. Whether that be because they're having an ischemic stroke or a hemorrhagic stroke.
From there, if they're eligible for treatment, they'll receive that treatment. And then, generally, they will go to either the neuro ICU or one of our neuro floors where these nurses are specially trained to care for neurologically injured patients. From there, they're evaluated by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists to determine a course of treatment for therapy, because that's also a very important part. And then, if possible, once they're medically stable and able to be discharged, we like to send them to our in-house rotary rehab program. And there, they get intense physical therapy and occupational therapy and speech therapy to help them gain back their best chance at recovery.
Joey Wahler: Gotcha. And that rehab, of course, in the case of a stroke is so crucial because oftentimes things that seemed everyday in routine in terms of mobility, normal tasks of life, et cetera, those can be interrupted and need to be retrained to some degree.
Maggie Poole: Absolutely. So the program here actually has a model grocery store, which is really cool because, you know, something is simple that we take for granted every day, being able to go to the grocery store. And put our groceries into a buggy is a real challenge for these patients. And so they can go through and attempt to collect their groceries, and there's a model car that they can get into to learn how to drive again and a bed where they can learn to get in and take care of themselves. So it's a really amazing program.
Joey Wahler: And speaking of amazing programs, Mobile Infirmary is Joint Commission-certified as thrombectomy capable. What does that mean exactly?
Maggie Poole: Yeah. So we were very excited about our recent Joint Commission certification. So it's a voluntary process that the hospital requests and the surveyor comes out to audit the entire stroke process. So they will observe everything from our stroke codes to nursing care, charting and our therapy in real time. The surveyor then determines if the qualifications are met. And it's a very stringent process that demonstrates to the community safe and quality stroke care. So we were awarded this advanced thrombectomy certified center in May of this year, which means that we're able to provide total care for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes 24/7.
Joey Wahler: Well, congratulations on that.
Maggie Poole: Thank you.
Joey Wahler: Absolutely. So as you know, as well as anyone, Maggie, stroke and the brain in general as well, they're areas that require great expertise. And so experience in dealing with that, like what's offered at Mobile Infirmary, it's really so valuable when you have a team of people that are used to dealing with this and have proven to be a success at it, right?
Maggie Poole: Absolutely.
Joey Wahler: So Maggie, in closing, what would you say is most rewarding about being able to help people that have gone through something as traumatic as a stroke for you and the colleagues that you work with at Mobile Infirmary?
Maggie Poole: It's definitely that great outcome that we get to see. Having the opportunity to see a patient come in, not able to walk and talk or do anything for themselves. And when they get to leave at the end of the day to go home and they're able to walk and talk again, it's truly amazing to see. And sometimes we get very lucky, the patients will come visit us from rotary and that they get to see the progress that they've made. And it's extremely rewarding for the staff.
Joey Wahler: That sounds awesome. Well, folks, we trust that you are now more familiar with the Stroke Program at Mobile Infirmary. And so, Maggie Poole, thanks so much again.
Maggie Poole: Thank you.
Joey Wahler: And to learn more about their 24/7 stroke care, visit infirmaryhealth.org/service/stroke. Again, infirmaryhealth.org/service/stroke. Now, if you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social media. And thanks again for listening to LIFE Cast, a podcast from Infirmary Health. Hoping your health is good health, I'm Joey Wahler.
Joey Wahler: When someone suffers a stroke, time is of the essence for getting prompt and possibly lifesaving medical response. So, we're discussing the Stroke Program at Mobile Infirmary.
This is LIFE Cast, a podcast from Infirmary Health. Thanks for listening. I'm Joey Wahler. Our guest, Maggie Poole, registered nurse and stroke coordinator for Mobile Infirmary. Maggie, thanks for joining us.
Maggie Poole: Hey, how's it going?
Joey Wahler: Going well. How are you?
Maggie Poole: Pretty good.
Joey Wahler: Excellent. So first, what's the age group most susceptible to strokes and what typically causes them?
Maggie Poole: So the most common age group that we see is generally in the 60 to 80-year range. But a big misconception of stroke is that it can actually happen at any age. So even young people as early as their 20s can actually suffer from a stroke. As far as symptoms and causes, the causes that we see are most commonly are going to be uncontrolled hypertension and uncontrolled diabetes, as well as smoking. And then, of course, atrial fibrillation. And of course, obesity as well.
Joey Wahler: So other than trying to control your weight, what are some other ways on our own that we can help to avoid the risk of a stroke?
Maggie Poole: You know, definitely following up with your primary care provider each year. They'll be able to check your cholesterol levels, your A1c and counsel you on the appropriate medications to take because there's medications that we can use to get those blood pressures into a safe range and our cholesterol into a safe range and help control our diabetes.
Joey Wahler: What are the typical signs of a possible stroke? And also, are there any common misconceptions about strokes that you can clear up for us?
Maggie Poole: Yeah. So we always like to use the acronym BE FAST. So that stands for balance. So we're looking to see if patients have had any change in the way that they walk, maybe they're tripping over their feet now. We look for eye changes. So any kind of change in vision. These are going to be sudden changes too. So any sudden change in vision, blurred vision, double vision, things like that. We look for facial drooping. So one side of the face may droop when they try to smile. We look for arms. So we're looking to see if there's any kind of weakness unilaterally. So maybe one side of their body is weaker than the other and they have sensation changes. We look for changes in speech. So maybe they now have slurred speech, or they may be completely aphasic where they can't communicate with us at all. And then, of course, we teach them that time, time is brain. So we want them to get to the hospital as fast as possible and to, you know, know when the patient was last known well.
Joey Wahler: And in terms of misconceptions, anything that people sometimes miss in the way of symptoms, because they're not aware that it could be a sign of stroke?
Maggie Poole: I don't know if there's necessarily any signs that people don't recognize are a sign of stroke. But I think one of the big misconceptions that we see in the community is that a lot of people don't know that there's options for treatment now. They may not know that we have a few different things that we can do to help treat their strokes.
Joey Wahler: And speaking of which, you led me beautifully into my next question, which is there are different types of strokes? So simply put, what are they? And in a nutshell, how is each typically treated?
Maggie Poole: So the most common type of stroke is going to be the ischemic stroke, which is caused by a clot in the brain. The good news about these strokes is they are typically the most preventable types of strokes. So that's the good news. We do have two great treatment options for those which is TPA, which is basically a clot-buster that helps destroy the clot or we can go in and remove the clot with a thrombectomy. Patients have a certain amount of time to be able to get to the hospital to receive these treatments. We like for them to get there as fast as possible.
And then, with intracranial hemorrhages, that's where there's bleeding in the brain. So a vessel has ruptured and now there's blood in the brain. With these, that's generally caused by hypertension. They are the rarer forms of strokes, but they can be very detrimental to the patient. And we have neurosurgery options and endovascular options for those patients as well.
Joey Wahler: Now, when a stroke patient arrives at mobile infirmary, what are the steps of care they can expect to experience?
Maggie Poole: So from the time that they hit the doors of the emergency department, we have a stroke team that's activated by a stroke code. And so, the neurologist will meet them down in CT and assess the patient to determine what the best course of treatment is for them. Whether that be because they're having an ischemic stroke or a hemorrhagic stroke.
From there, if they're eligible for treatment, they'll receive that treatment. And then, generally, they will go to either the neuro ICU or one of our neuro floors where these nurses are specially trained to care for neurologically injured patients. From there, they're evaluated by physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech therapists to determine a course of treatment for therapy, because that's also a very important part. And then, if possible, once they're medically stable and able to be discharged, we like to send them to our in-house rotary rehab program. And there, they get intense physical therapy and occupational therapy and speech therapy to help them gain back their best chance at recovery.
Joey Wahler: Gotcha. And that rehab, of course, in the case of a stroke is so crucial because oftentimes things that seemed everyday in routine in terms of mobility, normal tasks of life, et cetera, those can be interrupted and need to be retrained to some degree.
Maggie Poole: Absolutely. So the program here actually has a model grocery store, which is really cool because, you know, something is simple that we take for granted every day, being able to go to the grocery store. And put our groceries into a buggy is a real challenge for these patients. And so they can go through and attempt to collect their groceries, and there's a model car that they can get into to learn how to drive again and a bed where they can learn to get in and take care of themselves. So it's a really amazing program.
Joey Wahler: And speaking of amazing programs, Mobile Infirmary is Joint Commission-certified as thrombectomy capable. What does that mean exactly?
Maggie Poole: Yeah. So we were very excited about our recent Joint Commission certification. So it's a voluntary process that the hospital requests and the surveyor comes out to audit the entire stroke process. So they will observe everything from our stroke codes to nursing care, charting and our therapy in real time. The surveyor then determines if the qualifications are met. And it's a very stringent process that demonstrates to the community safe and quality stroke care. So we were awarded this advanced thrombectomy certified center in May of this year, which means that we're able to provide total care for both ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes 24/7.
Joey Wahler: Well, congratulations on that.
Maggie Poole: Thank you.
Joey Wahler: Absolutely. So as you know, as well as anyone, Maggie, stroke and the brain in general as well, they're areas that require great expertise. And so experience in dealing with that, like what's offered at Mobile Infirmary, it's really so valuable when you have a team of people that are used to dealing with this and have proven to be a success at it, right?
Maggie Poole: Absolutely.
Joey Wahler: So Maggie, in closing, what would you say is most rewarding about being able to help people that have gone through something as traumatic as a stroke for you and the colleagues that you work with at Mobile Infirmary?
Maggie Poole: It's definitely that great outcome that we get to see. Having the opportunity to see a patient come in, not able to walk and talk or do anything for themselves. And when they get to leave at the end of the day to go home and they're able to walk and talk again, it's truly amazing to see. And sometimes we get very lucky, the patients will come visit us from rotary and that they get to see the progress that they've made. And it's extremely rewarding for the staff.
Joey Wahler: That sounds awesome. Well, folks, we trust that you are now more familiar with the Stroke Program at Mobile Infirmary. And so, Maggie Poole, thanks so much again.
Maggie Poole: Thank you.
Joey Wahler: And to learn more about their 24/7 stroke care, visit infirmaryhealth.org/service/stroke. Again, infirmaryhealth.org/service/stroke. Now, if you found this podcast helpful, please do share it on your social media. And thanks again for listening to LIFE Cast, a podcast from Infirmary Health. Hoping your health is good health, I'm Joey Wahler.