BUSINESS FEATURE
2022 HEALTH CARE EDITION
BY BRIAN RASH
St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center Local facility prioritizes top-tier stroke treatment G eorgetown resident Jimmy Taylor knows more than most people about strokes. A clinical nurse coordinator at St. reasons the hospital is now one of the best options for stroke treatment in Central Texas and beyond, he said. Amy Taylor, the hospital’s manager
David’s North Austin Medical Center, Taylor has worked extensively with stroke victims throughout his career. While shopping with his wife, Tami Taylor, on Jan. 22, his right arm went numb and the vision in his left eye started fading. Jimmy told Tami he was pretty sure he was having a stroke. Tami, who is the chief nursing o cer at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center, gave him an on-site exam and decided to drive him to the Round Rock facility. As part of his immediate treat- ment, sta performed a CT scan and then administered a clot-busting drug, or thrombolytic. “I’ve seen [stroke treatment] lots of times from outside the bed rails,” Jimmy said. “That was my rst time seeing it from inside the bed rails.” Due to his treatment, Jimmy said most of his symptoms abated within an hour with the rest pretty much gone by the next morning. There are basically two main stroke treatments patients can receive, according to health care profession- als, and Jimmy received the less invasive thrombolytic. However, had he needed a surgical procedure to remove his blood clot—a thrombectomy—Jimmy said sta could have performed it at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center. It is one of the
of cardiovascular services and not related to Jimmy and Tami, agrees the stroke treatment center at St. David’s Round Rock is top tier. She said one of the main reasons is the hospital’s new neurointerven- tional biplane machine, which became operational in November 2020. The machine has enabled health care professionals to perform thrombectomies at the Round Rock facility. It also provides expansive 3D imaging of patients so sta can better diagnose issues, Amy said. “It’s useful not only for stroke patients, but for other patients that require di erent procedures that might be a little more invasive,” she said. Dr. Alexandra Boske, the stroke medical director at St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center for nine years, echoed the bene ts of the biplane technology. With stroke recovery, reaction time is crucial. The longer a stroke goes on, the more damage is done, so not needing additional time to transfer a patient to Austin improves outcomes, Boske said. “I’ve seen several cases where a person comes in near death, quite frankly, the surgeon goes in and removes the clot, and the next day they look like a di erent person,” she said. “It’s been quite remarkable.”
St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center began operating a biplane machine in late 2020.
BIPLANE CAPABILITIES PHOTOS BY BRIAN RASH COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
The neurointerventional biplane is designed for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders, such as strokes and brain aneurysms. St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center began operating a biplane machine in late 2020. Some bene ts include: • scanning that enables imaging of the brain, arteries and spine with one single injection of X-ray dye; • safer and faster than older technology; and • can reduce risk by allowing physicians to intervene earlier with patients who are in the midst of a stroke.
Dr. Alexandra Boske is the stroke medical director in Round Rock. RECOGNIZING STROKE SYMPTOMS Recognizing stroke symptoms is crucial to getting a patient proper medical care in time to potentially save their life. Symptoms to watch for include:
Confusion: victim has trouble talking or understanding speech Sight: victim has trouble seeing; vision is fading Face drooping: one side of the face droops or is numb Arm weakness: victim cannot properly raise both arms
WWW.ALLINAHEALTH.ORG COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
St. David’s Round Rock Medical Center 2400 Round Rock Ave., Round Rock 512-341-1000 Hours: open 24 hours
OAKWOOD BLVD.
Speech: speech is slurred
SOURCE: WWW.STROKE.ORG COMMUNITY IMPACT NEWSPAPER
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ROUND ROCK EDITION • JUNE 2022
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