Methodist Health System | Methodist Charlton Medical Center | Shine | Summer 2015

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healing
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TPA, short for tissue plasminogen activator, is a drug that breaks
through blood clots, restoring blood flow to the affected vessel and tissue.
In the case of a stroke, the blood supply is cut off to an area of the brain,
which disrupts normal functions like movement and speech.
“There is a three-hour window for patients experiencing a stroke to
receive TPA, and thankfully Shelly made it in time,” says Yong He, MD,
the neurologist who treated her at Methodist Charlton. “It’s so important that
anyone experiencing stroke symptoms — slurred speech, one-sided weakness,
numbness, facial droop — calls 911 and gets to the hospital quickly.”
Hope for the future
When Shelly went home from the hospital two days later, her only
deficiency was a pain in her right arm and shoulder. She’s been working
with an in-home physical therapist twice a week since then.
Stroke patients can have recurrences, including ministrokes, so her
neurologist prescribed a medication to help prevent other blood clots
from forming.
Because Shelly’s family history also includes stroke, she is sure to
follow up with Dr. He, and she is grateful for the guidance.
She praises the care she received at Methodist Charlton and has every
confidence in turning to Dr. He and the hospital for care in the future.
“I had wonderful, wonderful nurses,” Shelly says. “One in particular,
I can’t remember her name, was amazing. You could tell she loves what
she does.
“Ultimately, I’d rather go to Methodist Charlton than anywhere else. I
had such a good experience.”
A diamond
that clears
the rough
Methodist Charlton Medical Center
is one of the few Dallas hospitals
offering a new treatment to help
prevent heart attacks and strokes
The innovative Diamondback
® Coronary Orbital Atherectomy
System is used to clear the severe
calcium buildup that causes
hardening and narrowing of the
arteries Once the buildup is cleared
a stent can more easily and safely
be placed in the diseased artery to
keep it open Left untreated blocked
arteries can lead to a heart attack
or stroke
“The Diamondback allows
increased precision in placing a
stent which means better outcomes
for the patient as well as lower
treatment costs and fewer hospital
readmissions ” says Manish Patel MD
the interventional cardiologist on the
medical staff at Methodist Charlton
who performed the hospital’s first
Diamondback procedure
Previously limited options were
available to successfully treat severe
calcium buildup Diamondback
is the first new coronary system for
calcium removal in severely calcified
arteries in more than years
Methodist Charlton Medical Center • Summer 2015 13