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Stroke survivor continued from page 4
Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States and the fourth most prevalent cause of death. It happens when a blood vessel carrying oxygen and nutrients to the brain ruptures or becomes blocked by a clot. High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of stroke and the most important controllable risk factor. “For all strokes, the sooner you get to the hospital, the greater your chances that something can be done,” says Gene Latorre, MD, the associate professor of neurology at Upstate who took care of Darby.
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alley Men’s Field Days were under way at Syracuse’s Meachem Park. Organizers opened the rides and games specifically for children with special needs that July 18 morning, and Darby looked forward to joining the other police, fire and emergency medical services professionals assisting the kids. Several decades earlier, his daughter, Kimberly, who has Down syndrome, enjoyed the field days.
Symptoms
These sudden symptoms of stroke warrant an immediate call to 9-1-1: • numbness or weakness of the leg, arm or face • confusion or trouble understanding • trouble seeing in one or both eyes • trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination • severe headache with no known cause • facial drooping or numbness on one side • slurred speech
Darby’s day began as usual, eating breakfast around 7 a.m. and taking medication that controls his blood pressure. Then he put on his uniform and drove to work. Darby climbed out of his car about 8 a.m. He felt off balance. He steadied himself and carefully walked into his office at the sheriff ’s headquarters in downtown Syracuse. He sat at his desk doing paperwork. About 45 minutes later, he stood and felt the same imbalanced sensation. He called his wife, Joan, a nurse. She drove into Syracuse and dialed his cell phone when she arrived. Darby stood up and again felt imbalanced. His left leg felt asleep. “That made me think, this is possibly a stroke,” recalls Darby.
Joan drove him to his physician’s office. “Dr. Mitchell Brodey examined me, and the next thing I knew, I was in an ambulance on the way to the stroke center.” Darby’s 52-year career in public service includes leadership roles in emergency medical services, fire services and law enforcement. For 16 years he served as president of the Central New York Regional Emergency Medical Services Council, and represented the local council on the New York State Emergency Medical Services Council. That’s how he was involved in the New York State stroke center designations.
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pstate University Hospital was the first designated stroke center in Central New York, and its staff provide stroke care that is not available elsewhere. Darby felt confident as paramedics wheeled him into the downtown hospital. A team of providers was already mobilized and ready for him. Quickly it was determined that Darby had a small bleed on the right side of his brain, which made sense, given that he experienced symptoms on his left side. Next, they searched for the cause. The neurologist, Latorre, told Darby that a weakened capillary deep in his brain had burst. He was suffering a hemorrhagic stroke. It would take 6 to 8 weeks for his body to absorb the blood and reveal any lasting debilitation, but first the team had to get the bleeding to stop. Typically, the larger blood vessel will shut off the bleeding capillary, as long as the blood pressure is brought under control and the swelling managed. This is done chiefly through medication. “For the most part, unless the blood pressure is not controlled, it resolves on its own,” Latorre says. He adds that “the size of the hemorrhage is not as important as the location.” Some patients have minimal symptoms despite fist-sized collections of blood, and others are rendered comatose from a pea-sized bleed. The worst spot to have a stroke is in the brain stem. Darby’s stroke was in the area above the brainstem known as “deep territory.” He reacted promptly to his symptoms and got to the right designated stroke center quickly. Darby received medication to lower his blood pressure and was admitted to the Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit on the ninth floor. He had a headache and nausea his first night. He underwent many tests during his four-day stay as doctors monitored the bleeding and swelling. The stroke affected Darby’s left leg and balance, but he suffered no cognitive deficits. “I still think with time, God willing, I may lose all of the debilitation that I have,” he says. continued on page 13
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U PSTATE HEALTH
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