Picked up a 66 year old female. She was at a doctor's office where she went in for nausea and vomiting. Then her left arm went numb so they called us. Her husband was insisting that we ground transport her to Lufkin, about an hour away. I told him that I advised against it, she was showing the signs of a stroke. He wouldn't change his mind, "a helicopter will take longer to get here." he said. Not true, maybe 20 minutes one way.
If it was a stroke we have a one hour time window so they can administer TPA to bust up the clot if it was a clot. She was laughing and joking, her mental status was a little impaired though. I reluctantly agreed to ground transport her because her vital signs were stable. Her husband took off for Lufkin.
About 2 minutes into the trip, the numbness returned to her left arm and I said, "Screw this, she is having a stroke." so I called for a helicopter. We headed to the airport when she had a grand mal seizure. The monitor showed her heart rate at 285. She was locked up and foaming at the mouth for a good 2 minutes. We called off the helicopter and took her to the local hospital. She has no history of seizures. I'm afraid that she blew a major blood vessel in her brain and had a massive stroke. she and her husband probably just had their last conversation.
If it was a stroke we have a one hour time window so they can administer TPA to bust up the clot if it was a clot. She was laughing and joking, her mental status was a little impaired though. I reluctantly agreed to ground transport her because her vital signs were stable. Her husband took off for Lufkin.
About 2 minutes into the trip, the numbness returned to her left arm and I said, "Screw this, she is having a stroke." so I called for a helicopter. We headed to the airport when she had a grand mal seizure. The monitor showed her heart rate at 285. She was locked up and foaming at the mouth for a good 2 minutes. We called off the helicopter and took her to the local hospital. She has no history of seizures. I'm afraid that she blew a major blood vessel in her brain and had a massive stroke. she and her husband probably just had their last conversation.
