High-level Stroke and Neurological Care Close to Home

February 06, 2017
High-level Stroke and Neurological Care Close to Home

A new neurological suite is now being used by doctors at Wellington Regional Medical Center (WRMC) to support diagnosis and treatment of conditions such as stroke, brain aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and other intracranial vascular pathologies. The suite was opened last fall as WRMC achieved designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration.

Neurointerventionalist Juan Gomez, MD, describes the new suite as “the best room you can get” for neurovascular pathology diagnosis and treatment. It is equipped with a biplane angiography system, which provides highly detailed views of the brain blood vessels to diagnose and treat neurovascular diseases. “The room allows us to do three-dimensional reconstruction images for endovascular treatment purposes,” Dr. Gomez explains. “Having these advanced resources means we are able to perform complex procedures at WRMC, including advanced care for stroke patients,” Dr. Gomez says.

Not every patient who has a stroke will be treated in the new suite, Dr. Gomez notes. The most common kind of stroke, an “ischemic” stroke, occurs when there is an obstruction within a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain. Some patients can be successfully treated with medication to dissolve the clot that is causing the blockage. But having access to endovascular procedures that require catheterization to remove a brain clot can be life-saving for certain patients.

“In the setting of an acute ischemic stroke, the sooner we can restore blood flow, the greater the chance of a favorable outcome,” says Dr. Gomez.

“Being designated a Comprehensive Stroke Center underscores our commitment to the community to provide excellent, high-level care,” says Robbin Lee, CEO of WRMC. “Previously, patients were transported out of the area for stroke care. Now, not only can we treat our residents here in their community, we follow nationally recognized guidelines that ultimately save lives and improve the outcomes of stroke.”

WRMC is one of only 40 hospitals in Florida and five in Palm Beach County to earn the Comprehensive Stroke Center designation. This ensures that the hospital complies with the highest standards in clinical practice guidelines, performance measurements and continuous improvement programs for stroke patients. WRMC’s dedicated, multidisciplinary stroke team, which is specially trained and available to care for stroke patients 24 hours a day, seven days a week, includes a neurointerventionalist, neurosurgeon, neurologists, emergency room physicians, intensivists, critical care registered nurses and a stroke coordinator.

“The new suite at WRMC is an invaluable resource for patients needing neuroendovascular care,” concludes Dr. Gomez. “Having a Comprehensive Stroke Center with the capacity to treat strokes and brain vascular pathologies means that EMS can now bring patients to WRMC first,” he adds.

Comprehensive Stroke Center

Wellington Regional Medical Center's goal in managing stroke patients is to improve neurologic recovery and help reduce the incidence of disability. The hospital's designation as a Primary Stroke Center shows that it offers high quality care to the community.

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