No stroke is ever the same. That’s because people—their brains, their nervous systems, their genetics—are all different. At Wellstar, we provide world-class stroke care for each and every patient when they need it most.
During a life-threatening stroke, parts of the brain may become damaged, causing long-term disability, permanent injury or even death. Our trained team understands how getting fast, expert stroke care can mean the difference between life, death or lasting damage.
Wellstar has one of the largest stroke networks in Georgia, so you’ll receive high-quality care wherever you go. Count on our medical experts to treat your stroke as quickly and safely as possible.
Category: Highlights
Expert Stroke Care at Wellstar
Spot signs of a stroke and BE FAST
Published on December 30, 2020
Last updated 08:23 AM May 24, 2024
Cutting-edge treatments
If you have a complicated or complex case, Wellstar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, Wellstar MCG Health Medical Center and Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center now offer the highest level of stroke treatment as Comprehensive Stroke Centers. Using a multidisciplinary approach, our cerebrovascular and neurocritical care team treats the most severe strokes effectively.
That means, no matter what Wellstar hospital you are in, you’ll always have access to expert care.
Our Comprehensive Stroke Centers offer many state-of-the art treatments and technologies, including neurointerventional biplane suites. This imaging provides 3D views of blood vessels deep within the brain for a more accurate diagnosis and treatment.
Wellstar Kennestone Regional, Wellstar MCG Health and Wellstar North Fulton Medical Centers are designated as Comprehensive Stroke Centers by The Joint Commission and the Georgia Department of Public Health. Wellstar Cobb Medical Center, Wellstar Douglas Medical Center, Wellstar Spalding Medical Center and Wellstar West Georgia Medical Center are designated as Primary Stroke Centers by The Joint Commission and the Georgia Department of Public Health.
From diagnostic testing to life-saving emergency care to rehabilitation, Wellstar provides comprehensive stroke care so you can get back to life, faster.
Spotting a stroke starts with you
Learning the warning signs of a stroke may help you save a life—even your own. Remember to BE FAST, and get help immediately if you notice symptoms below.
- Balance—Look for sudden loss of balance or coordination. Symptoms can also include a sudden, severe headache or dizziness.
- Eyes—Ask if the person is having trouble seeing out of one or both eyes. This can also consist of blurred vision, double vision or loss of vision.
- Face—See if one side of the face is drooping or feeling numb. Check if the person’s smile appears uneven or lopsided.
- Arms—Watch for sudden arm weakness or numbness. See if the person can raise both arms without one drifting downward.
- Speech—Listen for slurred speech or difficulty speaking. You can have the person repeat a simple sentence to check their speech abilities.
- Time—Time is brain. Waiting to get care leads to lasting, irreversible brain damage. If you notice any of these symptoms, don’t delay—call 911 right away.
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But severe heart failure downgraded Pat’s dancing queen status for close to 10 years.
“I went from feeling happy to feeling like a nothing,” she remembered of that time in her life.
With a team of Wellstar heart specialists working together for her, Pat found hope and new life on the dance floor.
Heart failure masquerades as acid reflux
It started more than a decade ago when Pat lived in central Georgia. She scheduled a doctor’s appointment for what she thought was acid reflux. She popped in on a quick break from her marketing job, assuming it wouldn’t take long.
Blood work and an EKG got Pat a ticket straight to the hospital and a quadruple bypass.
“My heart got worse; it wasn’t pumping blood,” Pat said.
She was in acute heart failure, a life-threatening condition where the heart doesn’t pump well enough to deliver the necessary amount of oxygen to her body. Pat’s ejection fraction (EF)—the percentage measurement of the blood that leaves the heart each time it pumps—was only 10%. The normal range is 50 to 70%.
It was a scary time, and with a family history of heart problems, Pat was worried. She’d lost both parents to heart failure, as well as other family members.
“I just knew for sure I was going to be next,” said Pat.
Doctors from various academic institutions discussed serious treatments ranging from LVAD to transplant, but because the pumping performance of her heart improved, she was no longer a candidate for those procedures. Instead, Pat spent close to nine years managing her heart failure with a pacemaker and various medications—treatments that failed to get her back on the dance floor.
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There aren’t many people out there who can say they survived cardiac arrest at 30. Kevin Miskewicz can.
According to the American Heart Association, more than 90% of people who experience an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest die. Those who survive often have permanent neurological disabilities. But Kevin’s story has an incredibly fortunate ending, thanks to the highly coordinated work of his medical experts at Wellstar.
Recovering from cardiac arrest is something Kevin will never forget. It lives forever as a piece of his health history—one that includes a dedicated healthcare team—and his wife, who was the first to save his life.
CPR to the rescue
Kevin woke up on Labor Day 2017 at 5:30 AM to take the dog out. Pausing to adjust the thermostat as he came in, he fell, knocking over a lamp.
He was in cardiac arrest.
With no symptoms and no known pre-existing condition, this was unexpected, but that didn’t stop his wife, Andrea, from jumping into action.
“If it weren’t for me knocking over a lamp when I passed out,” said Kevin, “she would have never woken up and saved my life.”
In addition to calling 911 and unlocking the door for the paramedics, Andrea performed CPR for 10 minutes.
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Coordinating multidisciplinary care to save a life
When paramedics arrived at Kevin’s home, he had no pulse and was not breathing. As the paramedics performed their lifesaving work, he technically died two times.
The ambulance took him to Wellstar North Fulton Medical Center, where he was initially assessed and treated by Dr. David Jacoboff. The interventional cardiologist implanted an intra-aortic balloon pump to stabilize him. Then, he transferred Kevin to Wellstar Kennestone for highly specialized heart care.
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“Very few places in the state—only four or five hospitals—have the technology and specialized training to put a patient on ECMO,” Dr. Reitman explained.
