As Carilion Clinic celebrates a Gold Seal of Approval from The Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital (CRMH), the number of patients being treated has almost doubled in the past 12 months. In June 2009, CRMH treated 43 emergency stroke patients. In June 2010, the number of stroke patients jumped to 80, the highest of the past 12 months.  June capped a 12-month period that saw a significant increase in cases, beginning last December. 

Stroke Center medical director Sidney Mallenbaum, MD explains the process for removing a clot from a patients brain

“We don’t think this means that a lot more people are suddenly having strokes”, said Carilion Clinic Neurologist Sidney Mallenbaum, M.D., medical director of the stroke unit. “Rather, we’ve been able to identify more strokes, and get people in for treatment while the stroke is still treatable.”

Carilion Clinic has been working towards improved stroke care for several months, starting with the “Know the Five” campaign for heart attack and stroke, (www.knowthefive.org), educating the public about the signs of stroke and encouraging people to seek emergency treatment quickly. Treatment options at Carilion Clinic include medication therapy to dissolve the clot causing the stroke, and an interventional therapy in which a device can actually pull a clot out of the brain.

Read more about Carilion’s stroke initiative in this article in the Roanoke Times.  Listen to the story on WVTF public radio.  Watch coverage on WSLS-TV and WDBJ-TV below.

 The Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine (VTC) welcomed it’s charter class to the school’s brand new campus in Roanoke this morning. After a welcome from Dean Cynda Johnson M.D., a brief orientation and group photo, the students began their first day of classes.

The new medical school is the first public-private partnership of its kind in the state, a joint venture of Virginia Tech and Carilion Clinic. The charter class consists of 42 students, 12 women and 30 men. A third of the students are Virginia residents. They represent 35 undergraduate institutes.

The charter class begins an innovative four-year course of study. The patient-centered curriculum is designed to prepare the students for a constantly evolving medical field, and includes a strong emphasis on research and technology. 70% of the students already have research experience. The Virginia Tech Carilion Research Institute will open on the Roanoke campus later this fall.

 The school will begin interviewing applicants for its second class at the end of August. For more information on VTC, please visit VTC.vt.edu

You can also watch preview stories on WDBJ and WSLS below.

Read the Roanoke Times article;  “Process May Save Lives in Roanoke”

On July 1st, Carilion Clinic began using a new treatment for patients who experience cardiac arrest and are resuscitated. The treatment involves using special equipment and procedures to cool the patient’s body, also known as hypothermia therapy. During cardiac arrest, the brain and organs compete for the diminishing supply of oxygen, often leading to brain damage in patients who survive. Hypothermia therapy cools the body, which slows metabolism and reduces the brain’s need for oxygen – giving rescue workers and doctors more time to treat the cardiac arrest and prevent or reduce brain damage.

Carilion Clinic has selected a cooling process manufactured by Arctic Sun. The technology uses gel pads to carefully lower a patient’s body temperature to 33 degrees Celsius (91.4 degrees Fahrenheit). The Arctic Sun pads are designed to allow hospital personnel to perform all necessary tests and procedures, including X-ray and MRI, without interrupting the cooling process. After the patient’s condition has been stabilized and cooled for 24 hours, the same Arctic Sun system is used to warm the patient slowly to normal body temperature.

“I’ve personally been involved in launching hypothermia therapy at two other institutions using the Arctic Sun technology and can attest to the tremendous outcomes this treatment can provide,” explains John Burton, M.D., chair of emergency medicine at Carilion Clinic. “This process is less time and labor intensive than other cooling methods and we’re eager to start using the technology to improve patient outcomes.”

“Launching this new therapy is the result of years of hard work and dedication on the part of many people,” says Joseph Austin, M.D., medical director for the cardiac care unit at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital. “Hypothermia therapy requires a unified approach to care and we are so excited to have the support and coordination of all areas to make this a reality.”

Carilion Clinic is partnering with regional emergency medical services (EMS) in Southwest Virginia to introduce this new treatment. EMS can begin the cooling in the field through intravenous ice-chilled saline and ice packs. Upon arrival to the hospital, the patient may receive iced saline, ice packs and cooling pads.

“In the last 50 years of attempting resuscitations, our success rate had not really improved much, with only about five percent of sudden cardiac arrest (SCA) victims leaving the hospital nationally. This has been a source of great frustration for providers,” said Charles Lane, M.D., emergency medicine physician at Carilion Clinic and the regional medical director for Western Virginia EMS Council. “We will bundle induced hypothermia with an intensely managed program to develop a specialized care center for those who have suffered SCA. For certain types of SCA, this results in almost a 10 fold increase in survival. We are looking at making significant improvements in survival and quality of life.”

For more information, please visit CarilionClinic.org.

The top 20 list was based on 50 finalists compiled by the editorial staff of SolientHealth.com and voted on by 10,000 Solient.com visitors.  (Solient is a health care staffing company).  Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital was 14th on the list. The editors commented;  ”Gorgeous mirrored-glass windows wrap-around one end of this 16-story facility to provide a dramatic reflection of the lush surrounding Virginia greenery.”

One other Virginia hospital made the list. See all 20 winners here.

Norma Anderson was passing through Franklin County with family and friends on May 16th when she had a heart attack.  Over the next several minutes, an incredible display of teamwork saved her life.  A motorist stopped and began CPR, dispatchers located the vehicle, a sheriff’s deputy with an Automated External Defibrillator stopped and began shocking her heart in an attempt to restart it. From there, her care changed hands to Franklin County EMS, Carilion Franklin Memorial Hospital, Carilion Life-Guard 10, leading ultimately to treatment at Carilion Roanoke Memorial Hospital.  She left the hospital with virtually no damage or complications.

Last Sunday Ms. Anderson was able to meet many of the people involved in saving her life, including Sgt. Dan Hale, the Franklin County Deputy who started AED treatment.

 Check out news coverage on WSLS and WSET.  Watch WDBJ’s coverage below.

 

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