Study Focuses On Medications

To Minimize Post-Stroke Brain Damage

St Vincent’ s Medical Center in Bridgeport and Associated Neurologists of Southern Connecticut are participating in a stroke research study involving clinical trials of medications designed to reduce the devastating effects of strokes.

Stroke – which occurs when brain tissue is destroyed due to impaired blood supply – is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the number one cause of adult disability. According to the National Stroke Association, stroke costs the United States $30 billion annually in health care costs and lost productivity, and currently affects 3 million Americans.

The clinical trials being conducted at St Vincent’s Medical Center emphasize the importance of early recognition and treatment in minimizing the effects of stroke. According t o Kenneth Siegel, MD, chief of the Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine at St Vincent’s Medical Center and a member of Associated Neurologists of Southern Connecticut, people often fail to heed the warning signs of stroke.

“It’s a tremendous issue, because unlike heart attacks where people get chest pain and show up in the emergency room, people don’t take stroke symptoms as seriously,” said Dr Siegel. “With stroke, people get numbness or a weakness on one side, and it’s amazing how many people decide they’ll go to bed with it – and wake up in the morning to find out they’re totally paralyzed.”

Currently the best medical treatment and outcome require that patients receive treatment within three hours of onset of symptoms. The clinical trials underway at St Vincent’s Medical Center involve drugs designed to extend this time frame significantly. Three drugs are currently being tested, or will begin trials shortly.

“What’s exciting about the drugs being tested, if they work, is that the window of opportunity is going to be extended from three hours, which we have with current medications, to 24 hours with these drugs,” Dr Siegel said. “Unfortunately, only about four percent of patients show up within the first three hours of a stroke. One of the major reasons to have stroke awareness is we need to get patients in as soon as possible. Patients shouldn’t be calling their doctors – they shouldn’t be calling anyone except  for 911 and an ambulance.”

To combat this lack of awareness and to highlight the need to treat stroke as a true medical emergency, the National Stroke Association has begun referring to stroke as a “brain attack.” Along with education health care professionals on the need for early recognition and rapid transport in stroke cases, St Vincent’s Medical Center has established a stroke team to respond to these emergencies. Combined with the ongoing clinical trials, these efforts help ensure the best possible outcome for stroke patients at St Vincent’s.

St Vincent’s Medical Center also provides facilities for conducting special MRI brain scans, called diffusion weighted imaging, that allow physicians to see the area of brain damage caused by a stroke in just minutes, a significant time savings over other scanning methods.

The following signs and symptoms could be indicative of a stroke and warrant an immediate 911 call: one-sided weakness, numbness or paralysis of the face, arm or leg; sudden blurred or decreased vision in one or both eyes; difficulty speaking or understanding statements; dizziness, loss of balance or coordination; a sudden severe headache, often described as “the worst headache in your life.”