Stopping Stroke in its Tracks

Bobbie Laird was suffering a life-threatening stroke triggered by a blood clot in her brain that was nearly half an inch long.

But John Whapham, MD,  of Loyola University Health System was able to stop the stroke in its tracks by using a cathether device that busted up the clot and suctioned the debris.

When Laird arrived by ambulance at Loyola's emergency room, she was paralyzed on the left side of her body. She was disoriented and losing consciousness. A clot had traveled from her heart and lodged in a major brain artery.

Fortunately, Laird arrived within a three-hour time window when treatment is most effective. Laird was treated with tPA, an intravenous clot-busting drug. There was a slight improvement -- Laird moved her arm a little bit -- but the improvement was temporary. So Laird was taken to the catheterization lab.

Dr. Whapham inserted a catheter device in an artery in the groin, and guided the device up through the heart and carotid artery into the brain. He deployed a tiny agitator, which broke up the clot, then suctioned the debris through a thin tube. Dr. Whapham has done similar procedures on hundreds of stroke patients. He has to work fast, because each passing minute increases the chance of permanent damage.

Laird said she is recovering well from her stroke. "The procedure gave me another chance," she said. "I have a lot to be thankful for."