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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
He arrived at Stanton Territorial Hospital debilitated and with slurred speech - clear signs of an acute stroke.

Weeks later, after a revolutionary treatment - Thrombolysis, never performed before in the Northwest Territories - the patient is walking, talking and on his way to a full recovery.

Now that the hospital has proved that they can perform this treatment, it can be used on 10 to 15 patients at Stanton per year, after the Alberta stroke unit and Stanton made the decision it was feasible to provide this treatment.

"I don't want to overstate the treatment's effectiveness, but it makes the difference between a patient walking or not, talking or not, eating their own food or even life and death." said Dr. David Pontin, an emergency room physician at the Stanton Territorial Hospital, who was on hand to administer the world saving drug, a tissue plasminiogen activating factor, or "clot buster."

The patient, who couldn't be identified due to privacy legislation, was a man between the ages of 55 and 65, and lives in the Yellowknife area. He was suffering textbook symptoms of a severe stroke; blurred vision, disorientation, loss of feeling along one side of his body and difficulty with speech.

"Within 15 minutes of administering the drug, the patient saw great improvement in function. He experienced the Lazarus effect." said Pontin. The term, named after the Bible story in which Jesus resurrected Lazarus four days after his death, describes when a patient experiences remarkable recovery.

"It only happens in about 10 per cent of the patients that receive (the clot-busting drug), the others see improvement of function over patients who don't receive it at the 30 to 60 day mark."

The patient had an ischemic stroke, or a clot in the brain. It is comparable to a heart attack, as it restricts blood, and therefore oxygen, from getting to the brain.

The clot-buster treatment breaks apart the blood clot from the inside out; this differs completely from the traditional method of treatment.

"We'd (traditionally) elevate the patient's bed, give them fluids, a (CT scan), and administer drugs that would help prevent another stroke from occurring, and help a patient rehabilitate afterwards," said Pontin. "Really, we didn't do a lot."

The new treatment isn't without its hang-ups. For the drug to be of any use it has to be given to the patient between three to six hours after signs of stroke appear. After that, the damage done to the brain is usually irreparable. The treatment also

requires a complicated mix of staff.

"The stars finally aligned, letting us use the clot buster," Pontin explained, "We had to co-ordinate with the stroke unit in Edmonton, have a highly-trained radiologist on hand and an internal medicine team to monitor and respond to complications."

Ev Glasser, the manager of health promotion for the Heart and Stroke Foundation's Alberta and territorial office, said this is the first time the treatment had been used in the NWT.

"This makes me incredibly pleased," Glasser explained that this is be of great benefit, especially to First Nations communities who traditionally are at a higher risk of stroke.

Fact file

Five signs of stroke

Strokes are treatable, but it is vital to recognize and respond quickly to the warning signs.

Weakness - Sudden loss of strength or sudden numbness in the face, arm or leg, even if temporary.

Trouble speaking - Sudden difficulty speaking or understanding or sudden confusion, even if temporary.

Vision problems - Sudden trouble with vision, even if temporary.

Headache - Sudden severe and unusual headache.

Dizziness - Sudden loss of balance, especially with any of the above signs.

Source: The Heart and Stroke Foundation

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