Most, if not all, hospitals have an emergency department. Many also have intensive care units to treat those patients with critical and serious diagnoses. In the hospital environment, however, it is rare for a facility to house an inpatient rehabilitation unit. Unlike many other hospitals, North Fulton Regional Hospital operates an inpatient rehabilitation unit that specializes in neurological diagnoses.
Alan Harben, MD, PhD, is the Dr. Harben, is a board certified Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Pain Management physician. As the Medical Director for the Rehabilitation Program at North Fulton Regional Hospital, Dr. Harben works in close collaboration with the neurologists and neurosurgeons to develop a treatment strategy specific to each patient’s need. “With a team approach it is possible to streamline the whole hospital process so the patients can move more quickly from the acute care areas to rehab,” says Harben.
Inpatient Neurological Rehabilitation
The rehabilitation team is striving to maximize recovery from stroke while minimizing complications. There is a host of rehab options that are available to stroke patients at North Fulton Hospital. In the early days of stroke rehab choices were limited to splinting, casting and alcohol blocks. Today pharmacologic and surgical options are on the table as well. With the advent of Botulinum toxin or Botox for spasticity and pain relief, patients can experience the benefit of spasticity reduction without the side effects of alcohol blocks. Most recently Intrathecal Baclofen implanted pumps have been introduced as a programmable way to manage pain. The catheter is placed into the spinal column and Baclofen is delivered directly to the area where spasticity originates.
Spasticity management is just one area that the rehab team evaluates. Pharmacologic management of patients involves a combination therapy of antidepressants and stimulant medications that promote arousal and attention to help with recovery. “We work in conjunction with neurology to select medications that will help with arousal and memory,” says Dr. Harben. Different unique combinations of medications are explored to improve arousal and awareness. “Some intervention begins even in ICU with stimulant medications. If there is severe spasticity we may use botox injection therapy.” In addition, surgical intervention may be necessary to control spasticity for a better patient outcome.
Dr. Harben and his staff conducts rounds on a daily basis to monitor patients for behavior, motor and cognitive changes. Each patient has a case manager to establish a care plan for rehabilitation. Once patients are discharged, Dr. Harben continues to monitor their progress and will follow them in his office to adjust medications and spasticity or for pain management. If late complications develop in terms of pain issues, patients may be referred to North Fulton’s pain management group.
The stroke care team at North Fulton Regional Hospital reports all of their stroke data to the Coverdell Stroke Registry which was named after long time Georgia Senator Paul Coverdell, who died in 2000 from a cerebral hemorrhage.
Stroke Education and Outreach
Well known risk factors for stroke include hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, atrial fibrillation, and carotid disease. North Fulton Hospital’s dedicated team is focused on the future and trying to educate the community about the dangers and prevention of stroke. Community health events are offered periodically and include cholesterol and carotid bruit screenings. In addition, the community education team provides stroke lectures for varying local organizations and first responders such as EMS and fire departments. Explains Dr. Mike Lipscomb, Medical Director of the Emergency Department, “We are trying to reverse, minimize, and prevent future stroke.”
North Fulton Regional Hospital’s Stroke team is dedicated to providing full service quality care for patients and their families. “North Fulton has a really good interdisciplinary approach to stroke care with a full spectrum of services,” says Dr. Harben. Capable of treating patients from the time they enter the emergency department through the acute care process, potential surgical intervention, and rehabilitation, North Fulton offers a continuum of care for stroke patients that is unique in Metro Atlanta.
North Fulton Regional Hospital is a premier leader in stroke medicine in the North Georgia area. In 2005, North Fulton was awarded the Gold Seal of Approval for stroke care when the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations named the hospital as a Primary Stroke Center after an extensive on-site review. Emergency room practices, inpatient care, appropriate use of medications and rehabilitation facilities are just a few of the factors that came in to play in the evaluation.
For more information about stroke care at North Fulton Regional Hospital please call the Stroke Coordinator at 770-751-2708 or visit www.northfultonregional.com/stroke. For information regarding story ideas or interviews, please call the Public Relations Department of North Fulton Regional Hospital at 770-751-2867.
North Fulton Regional Hospital (NFRH), part of Tenet Georgia, is a 202-bed, acute-care hospital located on Highway 9, Alpharetta Highway, in Roswell. Opened in 1983, NFRH serves North Fulton and surrounding counties through its team of over 1000 employees, 400 staff physicians and 200 volunteers. NFRH is a state-designated Level II trauma center and provides a continuum of services through its centers and programs, including neurosciences, orthopedics, rehabilitation, surgical services, bariatric surgical weight loss, gastroenterology and oncology. The hospital is fully accredited and also is certified as a Primary Stroke Center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations, the nation’s oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency.
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