Special intervention saves 46-year-old’s life

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After getting up on the morning of the second holiday, Irina Saslawski (46) realized: “I can’t do anything anymore!” Her arm is numb and when she asks her husband to call an ambulance, he can hardly understand her because of the slurred speech. She loses her consciousness.

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The diagnosis is “basilar artery occlusion” – a blood clot blocking an important artery in the back of the brain. “Free blood flow through the basilar artery is essential for survival. Among other things, it supplies vital cardiac and circulatory centers in the brain,” explains Dr. Mete Dadak, Chief Physician of the Clinic for Neuroradiology and Radiology at the St. Vincenz Clinics.

The thrombus is removed through a so-called thrombectomy, a highly specialized catheter procedure in the brain using the finest tubes. The blood vessel is free again within just 15 minutes. “Thombectomy is the supreme discipline in interventional stroke care,” explains Dadak. “We are very happy that we can now offer this modern procedure almost around the clock in the St. Vincenz Hospital.”

This is how you recognize a stroke

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If you suspect a stroke, the following rule applies: Give it the GAS! The G stands for face (hanging half of the face or corners of the mouth), the A for arms (arms can no longer be lifted) and the S for language (impaired speech, babbling). Then it’s time to step on the gas! Because when it comes to a stroke, every minute counts.

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This optimally rounds off the spectrum of intravenous dissolution of blood clots through systemic thrombolysis therapy and interdisciplinary complex treatment that has been established for many years, adds Prof. Dr. Thomas Postert, chief physician of the Department of Neurology and the Stroke Unit.

The number of minimally invasive neurological procedures is increasing

According to their own information, the neuroradiology team was able to significantly expand the availability of thrombectomy in Paderborn in 2023, so that fewer and fewer patients would have to be transferred to special clinics: In addition to chief physician Dadak, two other doctors now have the appropriate specialization for this intervention, according to one Clinic press release. The team has already carried out 15 interventions of this type in 2024. In 2023 there were a total of 66, and around 200 since the procedure was introduced in 2021.

After the procedure, Irina Saslawski was cared for in the specialized stroke unit at St. Vincenz Hospital. After a few days she was released again. The nurses call her a “Christmas miracle.” Chief physician Postert was also impressed when he met their patient again during a visit in mid-February: “It is absolutely astonishing that Ms. Saslawski can walk through our hospital just two months after her stroke – completely normally and so cheerfully. Ten years ago this would have been completely unthinkable.”

In the past, the diagnosis would have been a death sentence

In the past, the diagnosis of “basilar artery occlusion” would have been a death sentence, adds the chief physician. Once again it has been shown that when it comes to a stroke, every minute counts. Quick action and specialized care not only ensured the survival of those affected, but also reduced the possible long-term consequences of a stroke.

“I am overwhelmed and very grateful that I was able to get so much help here and that everything worked so well,” said Irina Saslawski during her visit. “You and your teams saved my life!” There is now also a suspicion as to what could have been the trigger for the stroke in this case: the blood clot probably got into the brain through a hole in the heart. The hole in the heart is now to be closed in the cardiology department at St. Vincenz Hospital.