Stroke patients get unique care at a rehabilitation hospital

It happened while Parrish resident Angie Brown was asleep.

A blood clot formed in one of Brown’s major blood vessels and it cut off blood flow to her brain.

She suffered a stroke, the fifth-leading cause of death in America and a leading cause of adult disability, according to the National Stroke Association, which is encouraging Americans to educate themselves about stroke during Stroke Awareness Month throughout May.

Brown suffers from diabetes, one of the seven potential generators of strokes. The other six, according to Harvard Women’s Health Watch, are untreated high blood pressure, being overweight, not exercising, drinking to excess, untreated irregular heartbeat and smoking.

When she awoke that day this past April, Brown had several classic stroke symptoms caused by her brain cells being deprived of oxygen while she slept.

Her speech was heavy and labored and she couldn’t move her right arm or leg. She was unable to walk. A drooping face can also be a stroke symptom.

Stroke experts say if a patient can be hospitalized within four hours of a stroke, treatment can be given that could make recovery easier.

Brown’s husband, Curtis, called 911 immediately and Brown was rushed to Lakewood Ranch Medical Center, where she was diagnosed with having a stroke using brain imaging.

Unfortunately, since her stroke happened during her sleep, Brown had lost her four-hour stroke window, which meant she would have to do a lot of the work of recovering her functionality by herself.

While Manatee and Sarasota counties have many choices for patients who need to rehabilitate from a stroke, including skilled nursing centers, Brown chose an actual rehabilitation hospital where she could get inpatient care and take advantage of specialized equipment.

Manatee and Sarasota are served by only one such institution, HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Sarasota, a huge brick building at 6400 Edgelake Drive, on a lake east of Interstate-75, off Bee Ridge Road and Mauna Loa Boulevard.

HealthSouth is the only free-standing, inpatient rehabilitation hospital in Manatee or Sarasota, said Marcus Braz, HealthSouth’s chief executive officer.

Last May, the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association came out with new guidelines suggesting that the best quality outcome for a patient who experiences a stroke is in a rehabilitation hospital, which can provide intensive, multidisciplinary treatment, according to Ginger Mace, a HealthSouth spokeswoman.

Making significant recovery

This past Wednesday, Brown, whose dedicated husband, Curtis, 32-year-old twin sons, Russell and TJ, and 29-year-old son, Joey, have been constant visitors, was laughing and chatting with her physical therapist, Izabela Polivchak, in HealthSouth’s 15,000 square-foot main gymnasium on the first floor of the two-story building.

She had only a hint of speech slowness, pretty remarkable for someone about 20 days out from a major stroke.

“They cover everything here you could possibly need for a stroke or any other neurological problem,” Brown said. “They also help you mentally to adjust and cope. They will work you as hard as you need to work.”

Brown attends a class for her diabetes at the hospital. She has a room with a roommate and a TV.

“Just like home,” Brown added.

Brown, who hopes to be home in a few days, hugged Polivchak, of Sarasota, who Brown credits with helping to restore many of her skills in about two weeks of intense rehabilitation.

One of the main facets of Brown’s treatment was on a machine called an AutoAmbulator, which was built for HealthSouth by engineers at a cost of $250,000, Polivchak said.

The machine, a combination of a treadmill and a computer, allows Brown to be attached via a harness so she can retrain her feet to make steps. The idea is to simply step over and over until it becomes a habit.

Brown has given her AutoAmbulator the feminine name, “Hope.’ ”

Hope is the only AutoAmbulator in Manatee or Sarasota, said Matt Shouse, director of therapy operations for HealthSouth.

After Polivchak gently maneuvers Brown into the machine’s harness and turns it on, Brown has to concentrate to get the message from her brain to her feet to take steps.

“It’s the repetition that we want,” said Polivchak, who specializes in neurological physical therapy.

“Hope helps me remember, learn, relearn how to walk, step, distance, balance and weight-shifting,” Brown said.

With Hope’s help, Brown hopes to be walking on her own soon.

Hope is an example of just one of the specialized pieces of equipment that a rehab hospital might have, Shouse said.

“We provide a level and an intensity of care that is needed to get patients home or back into the community,” Shouse said when asked what makes a rehab hospital special.

HealthSouth still not well known

In a random sampling of Manatee County residents performed by the Herald, it seems that most people did not know that there was a major rehabilitation hospital for strokes and other disabilities built about 10 years ago right off I-75.

Braz is aware of his hospital’s low profile.

“It is true that many people still don’t know who we are,” Braz said.

Braz and Shouse hosted an open house Wednesday to get the message out. The pair were so excited to show off their facility that they were bouncing around like kids at a birthday party.

“We make miracles in this building every day,” Mace said. “I see it happen. I see the patients when they come to us from the acute care hospital. They come into our building and are really concerned about being able to regain their strength and go back to their functional level.”

Following her ordeal, Brown has a message for the public.

“If you feel something is wrong get to a hospital right away,” Brown said. “You have four hours.”

Information: HealthSouth, 941-921-8618 or healthsouthsarasota.com.

This story was originally published May 15, 2017 at 4:14 PM with the headline "Stroke patients get unique care at a rehabilitation hospital."