With MGH - Marion General Hospital

you?” Then he noticed the right side of her mouth
was drooping and she could not talk to him.
He immediately knew this as a sign of stroke,
because a family member had suffered the same
symptom. (See sidebar for more signs of stroke.)
David took the wheel and drove them both
directly to MGH.
QUICK TO ACTION
Upon arrival at MGH, emergency room staff, with
their specialized stroke care training, immediately
went into action. “They rushed me inside and
without delay took me to a room and the nurses
began evaluating me,” Callahan says. “I could
hear them, but I was unable to speak or respond.”
Part of Callahan’s evaluation included telemedicine
and teleradiology. This modern technology
is provided to MGH patients through a unique
partnership between Marion General Hospital
and the Fort Wayne-based StrokeCareNow
Network (SCNN).
With telemedicine, high-quality audio and
video is transmitted electronically between a
stroke specialist at one location and a patient who
has stroke symptoms at a different location.
“Our partnership with SCNN gives our patients
the opportunity to be physically lying in a bed in
our ER while being seen, heard and evaluated by
an off-site neurologist,” says Tamara Cornelious,
emergency department administrative director.
“We can then decide the best possible treatment
for our patients based on that evaluation.”
In Callahan’s case, it was decided she needed
to be transferred by helicopter to Fort Wayne
for more intense care for her stroke. (That is not
always the case. Since partnering with SCNN,
MGH has decreased the number of stroke
patients needing to be transferred to another
location by 42 percent.)
Through teleradiology, the results of
Callahan’s radiology procedures were quickly
and safely transmitted to the off-site neurologist
for evaluation.
SAVING TIME WHEN IT
MATTERS MOST
“By time we arrived in Fort Wayne only 45 minutes
later, the neurologist there had looked over
the tests, and we already had answers as far as
Signs of Stroke
A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks an artery (a blood vessel
that carries blood from the heart to the body) or a blood vessel
breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain. When either
of these occurs, brain cells die and brain damage occurs.
Two million brain cells die each passing minute during a stroke,
increasing the risk of permanent brain damage, disability or death.
Nearly 60 percent of stroke deaths happen to females.
Called a “brain attack,” a stroke strikes suddenly, often with the
following warning signs. Remember to act FAST.
Facial weakness. Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the
face droop?
Arm and leg weakness. Ask the person to raise both arms.
Does one arm drift downward?
Speech problems. Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence.
Are the words slurred? Is the sentence repeated correctly?
Time is critical. If the person shows any of these symptoms, time
is important. Call 911 immediately . . . brain cells are dying.
Remember, every minute counts! The most effective treatments are
only available if the stroke is recognized and diagnosed within three
hours of the first symptom.
Source: www.stroke.org
what they were going to do to further
help her. That was incredible,” David
says. “The fact that my wife is sitting
here today and talking is positive
proof the partnership between MGH
and SCNN works. I thank God, MGH
and the SCNN for saving my wife.”
Callahan feels as good as she has felt
in years and reports no side effects of
her stroke. Perhaps best of all, just six
weeks after her life-threatening ordeal,
she joined the celebration of her son’s
wedding—as scheduled.
Sources: www.strokeassociation.org,
www.stroke.org
JoDell Callahan joins son Zachary
on his wedding day, just six weeks
after her stroke.
Vim & Vigor · WINTER 2011 51