[extropy-chat] mercy retriever

[spike]

If you didn't catch ER this evening, look for this
week's episode in the reruns this summer.  The medics
received a patient who presented with stroke symptoms,
unresponsive, half of the face and body apparently 
paralyzed.  Female, mid thirties, mother of three.  

The docs determined that she had thrown a clot which
went to the brain.  

It had been over three hours since the event, so it 
was too risky to break up the clot, so they used a
new device (developed in the Taxifornia Bay Area)
called the mercy retriever.  They put a small tube
thru the groin, up the artery to the brain.  A small
coil spring like a corkscrew is then rotated 4 turns,
which augers into the clot.  The tube, wire and clot 
is then withdrawn, removing the clot.

If all goes well, if the clot doesn't break up,
the patient recovers fully.  It does have its risks.

After the show, the local news agency presented the
case (real life) of a local teenage girl who suffered
a clot to the brain.  They showed her x-rays, which
(I think) were the ones they used on the ER show.  She
came out of it with no permanent damage.

Keeewwwwwwaalllllllll.  {8-]  Good for her.  And us.

Parting shot on the news program: just today, they
brought another stroke victim into the Stanford ER,
used the mercy retriever, patient is expected to make
a full recovery.  {8-]

spike