0423-Stroke-LP-Home
24/7 Stroke Care
St. Mary’s is the region’s leader in stroke care. Emergency services are available 24/7, including
high speed diagnostics, the clot-busting drug Alteplase (tPA), and mechanical thrombectomy.
Our mechanical thrombectomy providers, Dr. Feroze Afzal and Dr. Neil Woodall, are committed to excellence in neurosurgical patient care. They provide medical treatment that is grounded in progressive, evidence-based medicine, utilizing the most current innovations and technologies.
Neurointerventional Biplane
Brings State-of-the-Art Care to Northeast Georgia
The neurointerventional biplane angiography system produces highly detailed, three-dimensional views of blood vessels leading to the brain and deep within the brain. It’s fast, highly accurate and painless. Endovascular procedures are minimally invasive, which means they
do not require large surgical incisions.
Instead, these procedures use very small, specialized instruments
that are inserted into a large blood vessel in the upper leg through a small “port”. The instruments are then
threaded through the inside of blood vessels to reach targets in the brain and neck.
Stroke Warning Signs
Call 911 if you're experiencing stroke symptoms!
- Sudden numbness/weakness of the face, arms or legs, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech
- Sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Teleneurology 24/7
Only a stroke specialist can authorize the use of Alteplase. So, in addition to our neurohospitalists
in Athens, St. Mary’s Health Care System also utilizes a teleneurology program in partnership with
Augusta University. AU stroke specialists are available 24/7 to examine patients remotely, review
diagnostic tests and images, and consult with the physician at the bedside.
With teleneurology, we are able to quickly and safely administer Alteplase to eligible patients
within minutes of their arrival at any of our hospitals: St. Mary’s Hospital in Athens, St. Mary’s
Sacred Heart Hospital in Lavonia, or St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Hospital in Greensboro.
Mechanical Thrombectomy
Drs. Woodall and Afzal perform this potentially life-saving procedure using St. Mary’s
state-of-the-art neurointerventional biplane angiography system. The system produces highly
detailed, 3D views of blood vessels leading to and deep within the brain. It allows the specialists
to find and remove large-vessel blood clots without major surgery. Instead, they make a small
incision in the upper leg and then thread thin, flexible tubes called catheters through the inside
of blood vessels to reach and remove the blockage in the brain.
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