To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE


SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

The Wonder Drug That Saved Pat Robertson's Life and What Everyone Should Know About It

Lorie Johnson : Feb 5, 2018  CBN News

Timing is everything.

(Virginia Beach, VA)—[CBN News] Strokes rob far too many people of their ability to speak and move. But now doctors are giving stroke patients an intravenous drug that can restore them to normal. There is a catch: timing. (Image: FAST/via Calming Corners)

Most strokes are caused by clots that block blood flow to the brain. When that happens, brain cells die: some two million each minute. To limit the damage, the drug tPA, short for tissue plasminogen activator, can quickly dissolve the clot to get the blood flowing again.

Dr. Bruce Lo, director of emergency medicine at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, told CBN News tPA is a game changer.

"I've seen patients who've had significant neurological symptoms who have completely resolved with this drug," he said.

With less damage comes faster recovery. Most tPA patients can go home, not to a rehabilitation facility.

While tPA can restore people to normal, as many as 90-percent of stroke victims are unable to receive it because they arrive at the hospital too late. tPA must be given within four hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, and many people don't recognize the signs soon enough.

They happen suddenly and often include:

• Numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Confusion, to include not speaking or understanding well
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Difficulty walking, dizziness and losing balance

Dr. Lo says stroke symptoms can be subtle.

"You may not recognize you're having a stroke," he explained, "A lot of times people are in denial because they're not having pain and it doesn't feel urgent like a heart attack does, so a lot of times people may wait and delay and our ability to treat with interventions like tPA don't become an option any more, unfortunately."

Patients should call 9-1-1 immediately upon experiencing any of these symptoms because emergency crews can start treatment on the way to the hospital.

"Definitely the sooner that we give the tPA the better," Dr. Lo said, "We know that if we give it to them within the first 60 minutes of symptom onset that people have the best outcomes."

Learning stroke symptoms and taking quick action, should they appear, matter greatly because beating a stroke often comes down to beating the clock.







SHARE THIS ARTICLE Printer friendly version of this page

To receive daily emails from Breaking Christian News to your inbox CLICK HERE

Other Recent Articles from Breaking Christian News

A Prayer Guide for Halloween from Wanda Alger

Appeal to Heaven: Members of Congress Join to Pray for Nation

5 Things to Know About the Virginia Governor's Race

Lawmakers Move to Impeach Judge Boasberg for Rubber-Stamping Jack Smith's Partisan Surveillance

Bombshell Texts Reveal LA Fire Brass Knew Fire That Burned Down Palisades Wasn't Out

Wow: According to Feds Over 7,200 Truck Drivers Were Removed from US Highways after Failing English Test

The Government Shutdown Exposed the Biggest Lie in Education

Trump Tells Republicans to Use 'Nuclear Option' to End Democrat Filibuster That Caused the Shutdown

FBI Thwarts 'Potential Halloween Weekend Terrorist Attack' in Michigan

Trump Names Nigeria 'Country of Particular Concern' in Order to Help Stop the 'Slaughter' of Christians

Shroud of Turin Skeptic Now Says It's Real 'Evidence to... the Resurrection of Jesus'

Teacher Rebuked for Constitution Day Lesson on Free Speech

Governor DeSantis Announces Special Partnership with TPUSA Meant to Protect Club America Chapters in Florida

Don't Miss This: Erika Kirk's Inspiring Speech to Students at the University of Mississippi

Illegal Border Crossings in September Historically Low

Every Shutdown in Last 35 Years Was Ended by a Continuing Resolution, Like the One Dems Keep Rejecting

Prior to Meeting with China's Xi Jinping, President Trump Announced Policy Change in US Nuclear Weapons Testing

'We Have a Deal': President Trump's 'Amazing' Meeting with China's Xi Jinping

US Missionary Abducted by Suspected Jihadists: 'Pray for His Protection'

State Senator to Call on Trump to Fight Christian Persecution



Search the Articles Archives

Keyword:  
Author:  
Words Posted On:  
Day Month Year



BCN Plus

Follow BCN on Twitter
Are You Praying for Our Government Leaders?
BCN Staff

Steve Shultz
Steve Shultz, Managing Editor
Founder and Owner


Aimee Herd
Aimee Herd, Editor


BCN Plus
Are You Praying for President Trump?
 
 

All articles on this site and emails from BCN are copyrighted property of Breaking Christian News. Permission is given to link to, or share a BCN story if proper attribution is given to both the original writer and summarizer of the story. Breaking Christian News 2005-2019. All Rights Reserved.


Breaking Christian News is a division of Elijah List Publications, Inc. All Rights Reserved


Disclaimer: Articles and links, as well as the source articles linked to; do not necessarily reflect the opinion of Breaking Christian News.

editor@breakingchristiannews.com