Let's examine this a little closer. There never should be any miracle in stroke. With an objective damage diagnosis and proper protocols mapped to that damage you just have to follow the instructions to an expected recovery. Stroke doctors and hospitals should never be flailing in the dark about exactly what needs to be done. Using the word miracle means they didn't know what was going on and thus were completely incompetent, but lucky.
Miracle Perth dad’s stroke recovery a credit to well-oiled health system
Cathy O'LearyThe West Australian
Even doctors cannot believe Allan Brunskill’s amazing recovery from a potentially deadly stroke caused by a clot near his brain.
The
day after he was rushed to hospital to remove the clot that was
completely blocking one of his major arteries, he was home in time for
the family dinner — completely recovered.
The
49-year-old’s remarkable survival is thanks to a team of medical staff
across two Perth hospitals and the ambulance service who worked like a
well-oiled machine to diagnose, treat and discharge him in just over 24
hours.
His
brush with death started at 8am on March 13, when his sons Paul, 15,
and James, 13, found him collapsed on the kitchen floor of the family’s
Duncraig home.
“I remember I was mumbling and couldn’t control my movements, it was like my body was stuck,” he said.
“My wife Leanne came home from work and took one look at me and took me to hospital.”
Staff
at Joondalup Health Campus’ new stroke unit swung into action after its
clinical head Kevin O’Connor got a message on his pager that there was a
suspected stroke case in the emergency department.
“We
all descended very rapidly into the ED because when it comes to stroke,
time is of the utmost important — we say time is brain,” Dr O’Connor
said.
“We really only have a three-hour window
when it comes to stroke, especially when it’s due to a thrombus (clot)
as it was with Allan, and we could see it was a moderate to big stroke.”
An urgent CT scan confirmed a big clot in one of his two carotid arteries which supply oxygenated blood to the brain.
While
he was being scanned, doctors organised a priority one ambulance to Sir
Charles Gairdner Hospital where they had specialist staff.
Within
minutes of his arrival, Mr Brunskill was in the operating theatre where
interventional neuroradiologist Tim Phillips removed the clot and
placed a stent in the carotid artery to prevent further clots.
“In
the recovery ward we examined him closely but he was looking great and
that evening when I did the ward rounds he was sitting up in bed eating
his dinner and chatting to the nurses,” Dr Phillips said.
“And when you see that on the first day, you know they’re going to do really well.”
By the following morning Mr Brunskill was clinically normal and was home by the afternoon.
Mr Brunskill said he owed his life to quick-thinking staff, and his wife reckoned he had used up all his lives in one day.
“I’m
still trying to comprehend how lucky I am, especially when I see images
of the brain clot. It’s just ridiculous that I was up walking around so
soon after that,” he said.
“I’ve since seen some young men who’ve had strokes and were left in a bad way so I know luck was on my side.”
WA
State Stroke director Andrew Wesseldine said it was a remarkable
success case made possible by dozens of people across the health system
working to help Mr Brunskill.
“For all of us who work in stroke, in the last 15 to 20 years, it is an absolutely incredible story,” he said.
“We’ve seen people with exactly this type of stroke not get out of hospital or be left with lifetime disability.
“To have a father of young children be able to walk out the following day really is nothing short of remarkable.
“Stroke
can strike without warning in a matter of seconds; the sudden onset of
the loss of speech, loss of vision, weakness in your arm, hand or your
leg or face are absolute reasons to call triple zero and get help.”
Health
Minister Roger Cook said having an integrated stroke service,
particularly the quick action by the Joondalup team, had made the
difference between life and death.
“Allan had
a significant, potentially fatal, blockage in his brain, so it is
incredible to think within a day of treatment he walked out of hospital
perfectly well with no rehabilitation necessary,” he said.
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