ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — When a stroke alert comes over the loudspeakers at HCA HealthONE Swedish, their medical team knows that every second counts to give patients the best chance for a full recovery.

“We have to go fast. And that’s the whole goal is to get them from the hospital door — whether it’s the helipad or the emergency room — to the procedure room, to open the artery in less than 45 minutes.” explained Dr. Don Frei, neurointerventional surgeon at HCA HealthONE Swedish. “We’re probably faster than almost any other center in the world at doing that because our team is prepared.”

Maggie Wolanske

The team performed a simulated stroke alert to demonstrate their rapid response, starting at the helipad where a patient might first arrive for care.

“I like to say that it’s really the pilot who saves the patient because we can go fast and not hit traffic in the air,” said Erin Eubank, flight attendant for HCA HealthONE AirLife. “So we can get the patient, who is usually time-sensitive … from point A to point B as quickly as possible.”

Maggie Wolanske

Once the patient is lowered from the helipad into the procedure room, a team of medical experts assembles to determine if the patient is having a stroke and assess the treatment needed.

“Millions of brain cells can die within minutes, so we’re really dependent on our EMS to give us a report as quickly as possible,” explained Dr. Cynthia Dickerson, neurologist at HCA HealthONE Swedish. “Especially young people who can have strokes are very likely to have symptoms that get worse quickly within minutes.”

Maggie Wolanske

During the simulated stroke alert, Dr. Dickerson asked the patient several questions focused on touch, balance, and movement.

“These questions help me identify, as a neurologist, how likely I think this is a stroke. And if it’s a severe stroke, it helps me alert the right team,” said Dr. Dickerson.

Technological advances have helped medical teams like HCA HealthONE Swedish with treatment, but this team understands that time is always of the essence.

“We are treating more and more patients because the indications continue to expand”, explained Dr. Frei. “We were involved in the original thrombectomy trials that showed level 1 evidence that this is the most effective treatment in the medical period. And I worked on time efficiency”.

Maggie Wolanske

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the US and can lead to serious long-term disability, according to the study. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Signs of a stroke include:

• Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking, or difficulty understanding speech
• Sudden difficulty seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden difficulty walking, dizziness, loss of balance or lack of coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

“There are 800,000 strokes a year in the U.S. Our population continues to age. There are risk factors like smoking and high blood pressure and atrial fibrillation and diabetes that cause hardening of the arteries,” said Dr. Frei.
HCA HealthONE Swedish doctors want to educate people about stroke symptoms and the emergency needed for those who might have a stroke.

“I think the key is that if you’re a member of the public, you need to understand the signs and symptoms of stroke. Call 911. EMS needs to get the patient to a comprehensive stroke center like Swedish where we know what to do. Not every hospital does that,” Dr. Frei said.