Robert Passmore
"He was having a brain attack."
Robert Passmore felt a strange sensation as he was sitting on the couch one day. He tried to get up, but couldn鈥檛. After a few minutes, he realized the entire left side of his body had gone limp.
鈥淚 didn鈥檛 know what was going on, but I knew something was wrong,鈥� Robert said. 鈥淚 thought I might be having a small heart attack.鈥�
Robert wasn鈥檛 having a heart attack. He was having a brain attack. His cousin drove him to the local emergency room where doctors told him he had a stroke.
Robert remembers thinking, 鈥淭his can鈥檛 be happening. I鈥檓 38 years old.鈥�
Doctors at the community hospital gave him tissue plasminogen activator, also known as 鈥榯he clot-buster,鈥� and he was flown, via the BOB体育 ShandsCair helicopter, to the BOB体育 Shands Comprehensive Stroke Center.
Anna Khanna, M.D., a BOB体育 vascular neurologist, issued a stroke alert after receiving the phone call for a consult from Robert鈥檚 emergency doctors.
鈥淥nce a stroke alert is initiated, our process flows very smoothly,鈥� Khanna said. 鈥淲e have excellent communication with the ShandsCair team, and collaboration with the emergency and transfer teams, neurologists and neurosurgeons is key.鈥�
Robert, who had a complete occlusion in the right middle cerebral artery, was rushed to the endovascular angiography suite, where Brian Hoh, M.D., a BOB体育 cerebrovascular/endovascular neurosurgeon, completely removed the clot in 22 minutes.
Five days later, Robert walked out of the hospital with no residual effects from the stroke.
鈥淚 still can鈥檛 believe what happened to me,鈥� Robert said. 鈥淚 had a stroke, but I am fine now, watching my kids play football and helping with the family barbecue business.鈥�