Lake Country Weekend Post

By Karen Pilarski Special to the Enterprise WAUKESHA — The mis- sion of Brain Health Awareness Week — March 16 to March 22 — is to inspire people in the community such as stu- dents, scientists, and vol- unteers to educate others about the brain. Dr. Diane Book, a neurologist and stroke program co-medi- cal director at Froedtert and Medical College of Wisconsin, recently answered questions for the Enterprise about brain health specific to strokes. Book encourages people of all ages to learn more about strokes and to understand what treat- ment options are available at their nearby hospitals. "The most critical mes- sage is this: get to the right PLACE in the short- est window of TIME and ask for transfer to a hospi- tal that offers this inter- ventional treatment if you or a loved one is iden- tified as the RIGHT patient who could benefit from it," she said. ENTERPRISE: Why is stroke awareness important? BOOK: Stroke is very common and very serious. Someone in the U.S. is having a stroke right now, and it occurs every 40 sec- onds. Strokes are highly disabling — in fact the leading cause of disabili- ty and 4th leading cause of death in America. Yet strokes today are highly preventable, and even when they occur, are high- ly treatable. My biggest frustration is that when strokes happen, people don't know the impor- tance of going to a com- prehensive stroke center or do not get there soon enough. This reduces the opportunity for physi- cians to stop the stroke or reverse the damage that can occur. ENTERPRISE: What are good guidelines to help prevent stroke? BOOK: The main strate- gy is to live a healthy lifestyle. This means exer- cising regularly, eating a healthy diet, keeping weight down and avoiding tobacco. Also, people must take very good care of medical conditions, including diabetes, high blood pressure, heart dis- ease, and high cholesterol. Take these issues serious- ly and control them — or else they will control you. ENTERPRISE: Most people think that older people have strokes. What type of issues do you see in teens and young adults? BOOK: Most strokes happen among older people- but still about 1/3 of strokes (nearly 300,000 per year) occur in younger people. While older people have often developed vascular and heart disease as the underlying cause of stroke, young people have not. Their strokes tend to come from inherited dis- orders of blood clotting and congenital conditions of the heart and vessels. While stroke is always serious, many young stroke victims have more remarkable recoveries than the same stroke in an older person, because their young brains are more flexible and adapt quickly to injury. ENTERPRISE: Are there significant new research developments? BOOK: Stroke preven- tion is the key to a healthy future for our brains. Today, with continued developments in research and treatment, more and more strokes are being cured. We know that the clot busting drug called TPA works well in some patients — if they get it within 3 hours. But for many patients, the win- dow of opportunity has passed. They arrive at the hospital too late. Or, the TPA does not always work. Just a few weeks ago at the International Stroke Conference, researchers announced that a revolutionary new treatment is improving outcomes. A small "stent retrieval device" is insert- ed through a catheter in the groin and threaded up to the brain. While watching images on a monitor, physicians can actually capture the clot and remove it thor- ough the catheter, restor- ing previously blocked blood flow. We've seen patients, many with major blockages, resume life with few or no func- tional limitations. My colleagues at Froedtert & the Medical College of Wisconsin par- ticipated in this research that shows we can cure strokes, and also change big strokes into smaller ones. Our researchers were early adopters in using and pioneering these devices. After years of study, we now have proof that they work in saving brains. Neurologists call these devices a "game changer" because it is as significant of an advance in stroke treatment as the use of TPA. ENTERPRISE: What are keys to success? BOOK: Three critical elements drive the suc- cess of this treatment. 1. The right PATIENT. The patient needs to be suffering from the ischemic type stroke — where a clot is clogging a brain vessel. This must first be confirmed by a CT scan before treatment. 2. The right TIME. Think FAST! The person must get to the hospital as soon as symptoms start, so we can move forward with the right treatment in the first six hours. Even sooner is better. 3. The right PLACE. These emergency stroke treatments require a well- organized stroke team with experts and strate- gies in place to rapidly deliver brain saving ther- apies. Most hospitals do not have the capacity to offer this service around the clock. A Comprehen- sive Stroke Center like Froedtert & MCW has a team available - 365 days a year, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We call our team F.A.S.T, the Froedtert Acute Stroke Team. Submitted photo Brain Health Awareness Week is to inspire people in the community such as students, scien- tists, and volunteers to educate others about the brain. Dr. Diane Book stresses the importance of research on strokes. GETTING TO THE RIGHT PLACE Neurologist talks brain health and strokes 2 • LAKE COUNTRY POST • MARCH 21, 2015 GMTODAY.COM HEALTH WE GUARANTEE THE LOWEST PRICES EVERY DAY! Hwy. 33 Super Store West Bend (262) 334-9389 M-F 9-5; Sat 9-2; Sun 11-1 4 Point Fish, 4 Pedestal Seats, 1 Livewell, 40 HP 4-Stroke Mercury Reg. $14,995 SALE $ 13,695 * New 175 Bayliner SALE $ 18,495 * New 40 HP 4-Stroke, Mercury, Windshield, Reg. $22,995 SALE $ 19,495 * New Mirage 22 FT New 16 ft. Smoker Pro Angler XL Trolling Motor 16 Foot, Side Console, Windshield, Livewell, Rod Boxes, 75HP. 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