Pregnant stroke pt!?!?!?!?!

Ok, got a very different pt the other day: Early thirties, 4 wks pregnant with numbness and tingling down right arm, leg and right side of face. CT negative, but MRI not done due to pt refusing and MDs worried about how MRI would effect pregnancy. Symptoms dissappeared within a few hours of onset, but pt admitted to med/surg (stroke unit).

Ok, all are thinking maybe anxiety, but playing it cautious due to classic stroke symptoms. ECHO comes back positive for bubble!!!! :redlight: Waiting for carotid us. Would you have pushed for the MRI? Would you have given Lovenox to a pregnant woman this early in gestation?

Honestly, everything we would normally have done for a stroke pt, we had to take a step back and wonder how this would effect the baby. Everyone was playing it very, very cautious, which we definatley should! Has anyone else had a similar experience or do you know of any research concerning stroke and pregnancy? I am going to look around the net today, but I love hearing from you guys, so asking here first.



Sorry, I put this in med/surg too and meant to put it in here.
If the patient had a bubble and it wasn't a part of the test...why whould you give an anticoagulant? as that is usually an indication of ASD.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atrial_septal_defect

No stroke.But had a pregnant woman with MASSIVE PE - ended up getting intubated after she lost respiratory function/drive.Got tPA.Last we know, she's happy to be alive and well (extubated next day and discharged later) and so is the baby. cheers,ETA: Here's an interesting link on thrombolysis in a pregnant stroke pt. - http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/37/8/2168.full

Due to the classic stroke symptoms. We have a stroke protocal which calls for all kinds of tests, echo included and a standard set of meds including anticoagulant (lovenox or heparin and aspirin) as well as simvistatin. These are given to pts that come in with stroke symptoms and are placed on the stroke protocal. In her case, lovenox was not given and the neurologist was even concerned about giving asa without OB signing off on it. Since the pt was only 4 weeks pregnant, she did not have an OB yet. I had not had a pt like this before and truely thought that this was an anxiety issue until the echo came back positive. With ASD, can't they produce clots with the blood shunting back and forth instead of circulating?

Quote from Roy FokkerNo stroke.But had a pregnant woman with MASSIVE PE - ended up getting intubated after she lost respiratory function/drive.Got tPA.Last we know, she's happy to be alive and well (extubated next day and discharged later) and so is the baby. cheers,ETA: Here's an interesting link on thrombolysis in a pregnant stroke pt. - http://stroke.ahajournals.org/content/37/8/2168.full

Quote from TonyaM73Thank GOD! Did they find out why she had the PE or was it a fluke?

Was this woman taking fertility treatments or estrogen supplements? Hish levels of estrogen increase the risk for clots (remember the warning on the birth control package?).I had a patient during a clinical who was in her 30's and had just finished several weeks of fertility treatment and had IVF. A few days after the IVF, husband found her on the floor unable to move or speak. Rushed her to the hospital and diagnosis was an ishemic stroke. She found out a few weeks later while in the hospital that she was pregnant. She ended up recovering okay. I don't think she had regained total function by the time my rotation was over, but she was getting there. I don't believe she was receiving prophylactic anti-coagulants, though.

Quote from ElvishEven in the absence of underlying clotting issues, pregnancy alone increases a woman's chance for DVT/PE.

I'm surprised they did a CT scan first...CT imaging is more harmful to a fetus than MRI because of the radiation. In an emergency, however, I guess you do what you have to do. Hope she is ok. :redpinkhe

Our protocal is CT first within 20 min of hitting the ED door and then follow up with MRI. CT is to see if there is a bleed and to find out if TPA is warrented. So, CT is kind of mandatory in cases with stroke symptoms even though with this case we worried about the radiation.

Got to keep mama alive first.

Quote from jamieslovingmomI'm surprised they did a CT scan first...CT imaging is more harmful to a fetus than MRI because of the radiation. In an emergency, however, I guess you do what you have to do. Hope she is ok. :redpinkhe

So much focus is put on a mom being preganant that sometimes providers lose sight of the fact that if mom dies, so does baby. Not to say protecting the fetus is not important, and may call for some modification of tx, but if mom dies so does baby. I had a pt show up to L&D triage with a severe asthma attack. She should have gone to the ED but came to L&D first. We could have treated her if need be, but for non OB related emergencies they go to the ER first in our facility. The ER staff was upset because she was pregnant. Once they stabalized her asthma, we followed up in our triage with and NST and OB focused assessment.