LIMA, OH (WLIO)- Mercy Health-St. Rita's talks about new upgrades for stroke patients.
Local stroke victims will no longer have to be sent to Toledo, Dayton, Columbus, or Fort Wayne for treatment. Six weeks ago, the hospital became a certified comprehensive stroke center. This means Mercy Health-St. Rita's is now able to care for strokes ranging from acute to complex, including hemorrhagic strokes and neurovascular disease. St Rita's is the 14th hospital in the state, and the first in the region, to receive the certification of being a comprehensive stroke center.
"The most exciting part of this is that we can complete this procedure called a thrombectomy. Essentially, in that procedure, the physician goes in the groin, similar to a cath people are familiar with. They actually go through the groin, bypass the heart, go into the brain, grab the clot, and take the clot out of the brain. That's really what's exciting and we weren't able to do that before," said Lisa Rampe, director of neuroscience and rehab services at Mercy Health-St. Rita's.
If you are experiencing stroke symptoms, it's important to go to the hospital immediately as more treatment options are available within the first four hours of experiencing symptoms.
