Wellstar Heart Care

When it comes to strokes, seconds can mean the difference between life, death and lasting damage. That’s why Wellstar Health System is dedicated to developing faster, more effective stroke treatments not just for Georgians, but people across the nation.

Recently, Wellstar Director of Stroke & Neurocritical Care Dr. Rishi Gupta helped test a groundbreaking device to treat complex ischemic strokes, working alongside UCLA’s Dr. Jeffrey Saver and device manufacturer Rapid Medical.

During a two-year period, patients in 16 medical centers across the country were enrolled in a clinical trial to develop the state-of-the-art stroke treatment, with Wellstar registering the highest number of participants.

Dr. Gupta’s efforts will have a profound impact on stroke treatment moving forward, as Wellstar continues to lead the pack when it comes to neuro care.

“Wellstar is on the cutting-edge of many new stroke technologies and therapies, through our participation in groundbreaking clinical trials,” Dr. Gupta explained. “Our research not only brings patients in Georgia the most advanced stroke treatments close to home, but can help save more lives across the country.”

Now, neurointerventionalists nationwide will have access to the new, FDA-approved technology called TIGERTRIEVER™ to help stop strokes faster and improve patient outcomes.

For many people, the warning signs of a stroke — like numbness in the arm, confusion, loss of balance or trouble speaking and seeing — are unmistakable. But often, the underlying cause of these life-threatening medical events can be harder to uncover.

“Strokes are complicated because there’s no pain associated with it,” said Dr. Rishi Gupta, director of stroke and neurocritical care with Wellstar Health System. “Many people think they can sleep it off and they’ll be better in the morning.”

“However, if you are experiencing the signs of a stroke, the faster you get to the emergency room, the more likely it is that we can reverse disability.”

While the telltale symptoms may be similar to one another, all strokes are not alike.

At Wellstar, we know each and every stroke is different. That’s why our neuro team provides tailored care along with fast, life-saving treatment for all types of strokes, even the most complex cases.

Fight back against strokes and learn the difference between the three main types: ischemic, hemorrhagic and transient ischemic attack.

When a patient has a pulmonary embolism, it’s crucial that they receive the right care, right away. A new team of experts at Wellstar brings together specialists from several disciplines to collaborate on care, quickly and accurately assessing patients and formalizing a personalized treatment plan.

The Pulmonary Embolism Response Team (PERT), implemented systemwide at Wellstar, ensures that all our patients receive timely treatment for this serious condition. Pulmonary embolisms, or blood clots in the lung’s arteries, are the third leading cause of death among hospitalized people and the third most common cardiovascular cause of death. With this new initiative, patients have an entire care team dedicated to fighting those statistics. 

The PERT includes interventional cardiologists, critical care specialists, pulmonary experts, emergency medicine physicians and hematologists, who look at the patient’s case from multiple perspectives.

“In emergencies like pulmonary embolism, time is of the essence in treating this potentially fatal condition,” said Dr. Salvatore Mannino, Medical Director of Invasive and Interventional Cardiology for Wellstar. “With our new multi-disciplinary, multi-hospital team, several specialists can weigh in at once, speeding up treatment and making sure the patient receives the treatment that will lead to the best outcome.” 

If a patient needs to be transferred to another facility for treatment, Wellstar makes that transition seamless, with providers efficiently communicating between hospitals about the patient’s personalized care plan.  

Learn more about how Wellstar’s cardiovascular providers can keep you healthy at wellstar.org/heartcare. To make an appointment, call (770) 956-STAR.