Submitted by Ann Schlueter, Chief Operating Officer, Community Hospital-Fairfax

Nichole Cooks, BSN, Nebraska Medicine Stroke Coordinator was onsite at Community Hospital-Fairfax (CH-F) on Friday, February 23, 2018 ,to meet with CH-F staff and provide education for the public. Nebraska Medicine is one of the few certified comprehensive stroke centers in the Midwest. As a comprehensive stroke center, Nebraska Medicine offers the highest level of stroke care possible 24/7.
Nichole emphasized the importance of acting quickly when a stroke is suspected by sharing a startling fact from a study by J. Saver, “For each minute that stroke is untreated the typical patient loses 1.9 million neurons, 1.4 billion synapses, and 7.5 miles of myelinated fibers.”
That is why it is important to dial 911 and activate emergency medical services when a stroke is suspected. Atchison-Holt Ambulance District is trained to communicate with the Community Hospital-Fairfax stroke response team which will ensure CH-F is prepared upon ambulance arrival to determine the best course of action as quickly as possible.
Nichole educated the group on two types of strokes. Ischemic stokes are when there is a blood clot in the brain, and hemorrhagic strokes are caused by a blood vessel in the head bleeding or leaking.
Nichole shared a simple acronym for recognizing the signs of an ischemic stroke-FAST. ‘F’ is for facial drooping, ‘A’ is for arm weakness, ‘S’ for speech difficulty and ‘T’ for time to call 911. She also recommended noting the time when you first noticed the symptoms. This can help medical providers determine what type of response might be appropriate.
Hemorrhagic strokes have different symptoms. Severe headache, nausea and vomiting, stiff neck or neck pain, sensitivity to light, blurred or double vision, pain above and behind the eye, dilated pupils or loss of sensation are often characteristic of a hemorrhagic stroke.
Response to strokes varies based on the type of stroke and complicated criteria unique to each patient. When the right conditions are met patients with an ischemic stroke can benefit from a clot buster drug (which can be administered at Community Hospital-Fairfax) or even from a thrombectomy, where the clot is physically removed by Nebraska Medicine neurosurgeons. Treatment is also available for a hemorrhagic stroke at Nebraska Medicine.  Community Hospital-Fairfax works in collaboration with Nebraska Medicine to coordinate the best stroke care possible.
Not every patient is a candidate for treatment options for strokes. That is why rehabilitation services in the local community are incredibly important. Kelsi Meyer, OTR/L and Amber Zumbrunnen, PT concluded the Stroke Summit with a review of the options available to restore and regain mobility and quality of life after a stroke. They reminded the community that even if acute stroke care is needed outside of the community, patients can return to Community Hospital-Fairfax for skilled care where they can receive intensive physical, occupational and speech therapy. Rehabilitation services are also available in the home through home health, on an outpatient basis and at Holt County Outpatient Services in Mound City.