McLaren Flint Stroke Center
As an active business owner, Bernadette Strickland, 75, of Plymouth, found it out of the ordinary to wake up in the middle of the night with her body leaning to one side. But she felt so incredibly tired, she decided to go right back to bed. Later on that spring day, Bernadette traveled up north to the Petoskey area with her husband.
“My husband found me to be very quiet during the drive, which is unusual for me,” said Bernadette. “He knew combined with the other symptoms; something was definitely off. He convinced me to go to urgent care and they recommended I go to the ER, so we went to McLaren Northern.”
McLaren Northern ER physicians evaluated her, and so did Dr. Aniel Majjhoo, an interventional neurologist with the McLaren Stroke Network. Telemedicine technology helped Dr. Majjhoo evaluate Bernadette as if he were in the room with her. It was
recommended that Bernadette be airlifted to McLaren Flint because she was displaying signs of a stroke and in need of specialized care. Once at McLaren Flint, numerous diagnostic tests were conducted, and it was discovered that she had a blockage that indeed caused a stroke. Fortunately, Bernadette spontaneously improved and did not require a
thrombectomy, the removal of the clot causing blockage of the blood flow in her brain. However, she was found to have an aneurysm.
Bernadette had an existing condition called atrial fibrillation, which is an irregular heartbeat and a risk factor for stroke. She was not on a clot-prevention medication, so she was started on one and cared for on McLaren’s Neuro Intensive Care Unit. Fortunately, she had only minor deficits from the stroke and recovered enough to go home. However, Bernadette still
needed the procedure to treat her aneurysm to prevent future bleeding in her brain. Two months later, Dr. Majjhoo used the Woven EndoBridge (WEB) Aneurysm Embolization System to treat her. The WEB Aneurysm Embolization System is the first technology of its kind to offer a treatment alternative to coils and stenting procedures for complex aneurysms.
The WEB implant is a permanent nickel titanium mesh ball that self-expands, reducing blood flow to the site of the aneurysm and aids in the clotting process. This minimally invasive procedure is performed by introducing the implant into the blood vessels near the groin. The implant is then detached from the delivery system and placed into the sac of the intracranial aneurysm, reducing blood flow and promoting clotting.
“We have had great success in treating patients with this new system,” said Dr. Majjhoo. This innovative technology allows us to treat several various complex aneurysms, providing more treatment options for a wide variety of patients. Because it is such a minimally invasive system, the patient is at less risk for complications, has a shorter hospital stay, and a faster recovery time.”
The good news is after this procedure, Bernadette felt much better and was able to get back to running her business.
To learn more about McLaren Flint’s award winning stroke care, visit mclaren.org/flintstroke.