Medically Reviewed by Edgard L. Pereira, MD

Dr. Edgard Pereira, an Interventional Neurologist, explains the treatments offered for a stroke at McLeod Regional Medical Center.

Ischemic strokes occur when a blood vessel to the brain is blocked by a clot. When this happens part of the brain is not getting the oxygen and blood it needs, which is a very dangerous and life-threatening situation.

As a Primary Stroke Center, McLeod Regional Medical Center has the ability to administer the main treatment for an Ischemic stroke, a thrombolytic medication called Tenecteplase, which breaks up clots. The benefits of Tenecteplase are time dependent and should be administered as quickly as possible. The window of opportunity for giving the medication is four and half hours after the onset of a stroke.

If Tenecteplase is not successful, the vessels can be reopened quickly and safely with a procedure called Thrombectomy, a minimally invasive procedure to remove a blood clot from a brain artery.

Time is of the essence to restore blood flow back to the brain. And, not all hospitals are equipped with the staff, training and equipment necessary to perform the Thrombectomy procedure.

A Thrombectomy for stroke care is performed by a highly skilled physician who specializes in problems affecting the central nervous system — the brain or spinal cord. This medical professional uses procedures that are minimally invasive, meaning that they can be performed through a tiny incision.

The thrombectomy is an endovascular procedure, meaning inside a blood vessel, and is often performed using radiology imaging available in the Neurointerventional Bi-plane X-ray Suite, to help see the part of the body being treated. McLeod Regional Medical Center’s Bi-plane Suite is a dedicated X-ray Suite for procedures such as thrombectomies.

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