2023-09-30 06:58:34
Rapid intervention can make a difference in terms of patient morbidity and mortality.
By: Luisa Ochoa
September 30, 2023
According to the National Institutes of Health In the United States, 2.4% of patients who suffer ischemic stroke experience seizures during the first 24 hours.
The medical literature reports that basilar artery occlusion comprises up to 10% of large occlusion strokes (LVO) and is associated with 40% more morbidity and mortality than anterior circulation strokes.
Patient suffers sudden seizure
In this case, the doctors from the Department of Emergency Medicine of the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico attended to a women 40-year-old with systemic disease who had a sudden seizure around six in the morning.
The seizure was witnessed by family members and emergency service personnel. It lasted approximately 16 minutes, so the patient was intubated at the scene. Upon examination, her state of unconsciousness, disorientation and a decerebrate posture were evident, which suggested severe brain damage.
The patient arrived at around seven in the morning to the emergency department where imaging studies were performed and around 11 in the morning she was transferred to the Stroke Center, where later in the afternoon she underwent a successful mechanical thrombectomy.
This procedure consists of the mechanical extraction or fragmentation of a thrombus through the use of endovascular catheters and is used in the treatment of a cerebrovascular accident ischemic.
Basilar artery occlusion
According to the doctors who treated this case in Puerto Ricostatus epilepticus is a rare presenting symptom of ischemic stroke.
Therefore, in the case of the 40-year-old patient, it was key to accelerate her stabilization and perform definitive diagnostic images to provide adequate and timely treatment.
In fact, seizures are estimated to be the presenting symptom in only 5% of patients with basilar artery occlusion (BAO), making it one of the most difficult conditions for physicians to diagnose and treat.
This case highlights the benefits that rapid intervention and appropriate patient disposition can have in terms of morbidity and mortality in patients with basilar artery occlusion, especially since most hospitals in Puerto Rico They do not have the capacity to perform a mechanical thrombectomy.
Study authors
John A. Negron-Medina, MD.
César I. Andino-Colón, MD, FACEP.
Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico.
1696074837
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