Nuvaring Lawyers
Timely treatment of Nuvaring side effects involving a stroke is essential for preventing debilitating – and even life-threatening – consequences. If you have suffered a stroke or blood clots please contact for a free consultation from one of our Nuvaring lawyers. Depending on the area of your brain that was affected by the event, you might experience partial paralysis, vision problems, and an assortment of language impairments. If the stroke affects the brain stem (as opposed to the cerebrum or cerebellum), it can be fatal.
A stroke is ischemic rather than hemorrhagic; it is caused by blood clots that block one of the arteries of the brain. This typically occurs in the carotid arteries, but can also happen within the basilar, cerebral, and vertebral arteries. Treatment is focused on restoring blood flow to the brain while preventing existing blockages from enlarging.
Addressing Immediate Symptoms Of A Stroke
When you suffer an ischemic stroke, immediate medical care is critical to minimize brain injury and any resulting impairments. Upon your arrival at the hospital, the medical team’s main priority is to normalize your vital signs. They will monitor your blood pressure, body temperature, and heart rate, and if necessary, will introduce medications to help stabilize them. Once your vitals have been brought under control, and the severity of the blockage has been determined, the priority shifts to acute stroke therapy.
Dissolution Of Blood Clots In The Brain
Because a stroke can cause brain cells to die within minutes, therapy often begins with thrombolytic medications. These include tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and similar drugs that are designed to dissolve clots.
The drawback to thrombolysis is that the medications pose a high risk of internal hemorrhaging. For this reason, your doctor will perform a computed tomography (CT) scan to check for bleeding near the brain prior to starting therapy. If there is no bleeding, and other risk factors (e.g. seizures, history of bleeding, etc.) are nonexistent, your doctor will proceed.
The drugs are introduced through a catheter, which is inserted near the groin and advanced to the site of the clot. A device on the tip of the catheter may be used to partially break it apart. Then, tPA is injected to dissolve the remaining mass.
This form of treatment is most effective when the medications can be delivered within three hours of the first symptoms. As time passes, their effectiveness declines. Hence, the drugs are rarely given after eighteen hours have passed.
Preventing The Stroke From Worsening
In some cases, your body may be unable to tolerate tPA and other thrombolytic drugs. As an alternative approach, your doctor may administer anticoagulants and antiplatelet medications. The purpose of these drugs is to slow the rate of coagulation in your blood. This prevents new clots from forming and existing clots from growing larger.
If your doctor has administered thrombolytic therapy, you will likely be given anticoagulants and antiplatelet drugs as a long-term treatment measure. They are usually given twenty-four hours following the introduction of tPA into your bloodstream since they, too, pose a risk of internal bleeding.
Surgery To Remove The Obstructing Clots
If thrombolytic drugs are insufficient for dissolving a clot – or therapy is contraindicated – a procedure called carotid endarterectomy can be done. This is an operation during which your doctor will remove the clot from the affected carotid artery. It is usually performed while the patient remains awake so the doctor can monitor brain activity.
A small incision is made into the back of your neck near the obstruction. Another incision is made into the blocked artery. The clot is removed and the two entry points are closed. The entire procedure can be completed within two hours. The risk is that your doctor may inadvertently dislodge other clots, and thus trigger another stroke.
Nuvaring stroke problems are varied and largely unpredictable. Even after the affected lobe of the brain has been identified, the nature and severity of the side effects may remain a mystery. If you have suffered blood clots or stroke after using contraceptive ring, find out about your legal rights. Contact a Nuvaring lawsuit attorney to discuss your options.