Dowagiac woman with major stroke saved by new device

Kathy Jennings | Thursday, September 26, 2013

When Dowagiac resident and hospice nurse, Debra Burke, suddenly kept dropping her cell phone, it didn’t occur to her she might be experiencing a life-threatening stroke. But after she collapsed on the job, her colleague called 911.

Burke was transported to Bronson Methodist Hospital where doctors rapidly worked to clear a massive blood clot from her brain. Their efforts were successful, thanks to a new device that many in the health industry have hailed as a game-changer.

Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States, killing almost 130,000 Americans each year. Strokes are either ischemic, due to a blocked blood vessel that deprives the brain of oxygen and nutrients, or hemorrhagic, due to a ruptured, bleeding blood vessel in the brain. Eighty seven percent of strokes are ischemic, like the one Burke experienced. Surviving a stroke depends on a victim getting the right treatment quickly, because as every second passes, more brain tissue dies.

Bronson says it is the only hospital in Southwest Michigan currently approved to use a new device called Solitaire. It was approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration in March 2012. It can help save the lives of patients like Burke, whose clots are too large to be treated clot-busting drugs, as well as patients who arrive at the hospital too late for effective treatment with such drugs.

Jeffrey Miller, MD, with Bronson Neuroscience Center was the first physician in Southwest Michigan to use the Solitaire. Dr. Miller is a neurointerventional surgeon--a specialist who uses minimally invasive surgical techniques to treat stroke, brain aneurysms and other neurological conditions.

He used the Solitaire device to remove the six-inch clot found on the right side of Burke’s brain. The self-expanding, stent was inserted with a thin catheter tube through her groin, and into the problem artery. As Dr. Miller retracted the tube, the stent expanded into the clot, immediately restoring blood flow to the brain and grabbing the clot for easy retrieval.

"My left side couldn’t move at all, and the doctors were very concerned about brain damage," says Burke. "My family knew it didn’t look good, but Dr. Miller told them he wouldn’t give up on me."

By the morning after surgery, Burke had already regained movement in her left leg. She completed rehabilitation and has resumed most of her normal activities. To help rebuild muscle and cardiovascular strength, she takes a Tai Chi class twice a week and walks her dog Gus. She was relieved when her follow-up CT scan showed that the comprised area of her brain remains clear.

Burke doesn’t remember much about the day she had her stroke, except for her concern that she would miss her son’s wedding two weeks later. But her recovery was so quick; she not only attended the wedding, but she also made it to the bridal shower a week before.

Source: Candice Elders, Bronson