TCAR procedure addresses
cause of strokes
Less than a month after the clot was removed
from his brain, Fred returned to Sacred Heart
for a TCAR procedure on his left carotid artery
to address the cause of the strokes. A TCAR
(transcarotid artery revascularization) is a
minimally invasive procedure that requires
opening the artery through a small incision on
the base of the neck. A stent is put in place to
trap plaque, keeping the pathway open for
blood flow to the brain.
Providence vascular surgeon, Luke X. Zhan,
M.D., Ph.D., performed the procedure on Fred's
left carotid artery, and then his right carotid
artery a month later.
Fred quickly recovered from both procedures
and noticed a marked difference in his health.
"It was like I had a new lease on life," he says.
"I'm grateful. Every time I tell this story I'm
aware of the miracle I experienced."
■
Learn more about stroke and heart health
at Providence.org/BetterU
Thankful on Thanksgiving
Several days later, while loading the car
with dishes to take to his son's home for
Thanksgiving dinner, Fred fell and had difficulty
getting up. He was able to get back into the
house, but his wife Vicki knew something
was wrong. "He was having a hard time using
his right hand," she says.
At the Sacred Heart ED, Fred was admitted to the
hospital for further evaluation but his symptoms
worsened the next morning. He was slurring his
words again and couldn't move the fingers on
his right hand. Fred was immediately taken in
for surgery where the interventional radiologist
(IR) was able to grasp and remove a large clot.
Blood flow was instantly restored to the left side
of his brain. Then the IR inserted a balloon in
the left carotid artery, a temporary measure
to allow blood flow in the artery until a stent
could be inserted.
The next thing Fred remembered was being
gently woken up in recovery. He wiggled his
fingers. "I could use my hand perfectly," he
says. Fred's surgeon showed him a photo of
the clot, the biggest one he'd ever removed
from a patient's brain.
"The procedures went very well," says Cynthia
Murphy, M.D., lead vascular neurologist at
Providence Spokane Neuroscience Institute. "It
was a true team effort to get his arteries open."
For 11 consecutive years,
Providence's stroke
program is recognized
by the American Heart
Association / American
Stroke Association's Get
With The Guidelines®
Stroke Gold Plus Quality
Achievement Award. This
designation is the highest
level of achievement for
a program that serves
more than three times the
amount of people than
any other health provider
in the region.
"Being honored for our
care and innovation —
from prevention and
diagnosis through
treatment and
rehabilitation, is
validation of our quality
stroke care on national
standards," says Ken
Isaacs, M.D., regional
medical director of
Providence Spokane
Neuroscience Institute.
