Sioux Center Health is using new technology designed to quickly identify a blocked artery in the brain and immediately begin coordinating care for patients experiencing certain types of strokes.
Recognizing the Signs of a Stroke
Dr. Dave Semerad, a board-certified radiologist at Sioux Center Health, says stroke symptoms can range from unmistakable emergencies to more subtle changes during an otherwise normal day. He spoke with Cami Jo during a recent edition of Healthcare Happenings on KSOU.
“Stroke can range from dramatic presentations, like all of a sudden you’re not able to talk or move one side of your body, or it can simply mean that you’re having loss of normal function in a day when you would just have no other reason for it,” Semerad says.
That could include suddenly having difficulty moving a hand, experiencing weakness on one side of the body, or having someone notice that a person’s speech has become slurred. Semerad says any unexplained change like that is reason to be evaluated at a local hospital.
Technology Designed to Save Critical Time
Within the past year, Sioux Center Health became the 15th facility in the Avera system to launch a detection algorithm that analyzes diagnostic imaging for a blocked brain artery.
“Within the last year, we became the fifteenth facility in the Avera system to launch a detection algorithm that actually will pick up when there is a blocked artery inside your brain, and it will do it faster than a human radiologist like me,” Semerad says.
Once a potential blockage is detected, the system automatically sends an alert to members of the stroke team at Sioux Center Health and Avera McKennan Hospital in Sioux Falls. The alert also goes directly to Avera’s transfer center, allowing staff there to begin coordinating with the local care team.
“Unlike years past, when our docs had to reach out to the transfer center, now the transfer center is reaching out to us when we have a blocked artery, and that can shave an hour or more of time off the clock when it comes to treatment,” Semerad says.
Semerad says the importance of a rapid response is personal for him. His father suffered a stroke several years ago but received prompt treatment and has since returned to regular activities, including walking, mowing the lawn and shoveling snow.
Physician Review Remains Essential
The detection system has been cleared for medical use by the Food and Drug Administration. Semerad emphasizes that it supplements a radiologist’s work rather than replacing the physician’s review.
“When I start looking at a patient’s exam, I do not look at what the algorithm detected or did not detect,” Semerad says. “I look at it by myself, with my own eyes, and I form my own judgment first. Then after that, I look at what the detection algorithm said.”
Stroke Care Requires a Coordinated Team
When a patient needs a higher level of treatment, the response can involve doctors and nurses in Sioux Center, the Avera transfer center, the stroke team at Avera McKennan and air medical crews. Semerad says the flight from Sioux Center to Sioux Falls can take an hour or less.
Semerad specializes in radiology and ultrasound and is certified by the American Board of Radiology. He completed his residency at Madigan Army Medical Center and served in the U.S. Army, including a deployment to Afghanistan.
Gold Recognition for Rural Stroke Care
Sioux Center Health’s efforts have also earned the hospital the American Heart Association’s Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Rural Recognition Gold award. The recognition is based on performance in acute stroke care measures including brain imaging, communication with emergency medical services, stroke-expert consultation, intravenous clot-busting therapy and timely transfers between hospitals.
The recognition is especially significant in rural communities. According to the American Heart Association, rural residents live an average of three years fewer than their urban counterparts and face a 30% greater risk of dying from a stroke.
“Patients and health care professionals in Northwest Iowa face unique health care challenges and opportunities,” says Dr. Karen Joynt Maddox (stated in a press release), chair of the American Heart Association Quality Oversight Committee. “Sioux Center Health has advanced the important work of improving care for all Americans, regardless of where they live.”
Reducing the Risk of Stroke
For those concerned about their risk of suffering a stroke, Semerad recommends beginning with their healthcare provider. He says patients can ask whether changes involving diet, physical activity, or medication may help lower their risk.
“I think one of your best resources is just to knock on your doctor’s door or call your doctor’s office and just say, ‘Hey, what’s my risk? And are we doing everything that we can to make my risk go as down as much as possible?’ So whether that’s diet modification, activity modification, medication modification—you know, as much as we like to say, ‘Oh, go on the internet and look stuff up,’ I think the best way to start, honestly, is with a phone call or a knock on the door.”
