Mercy Stroke Center
Stroke.
The word alone is mighty scary. After all, stroke – also known as a brain attack – is the third leading cause of death in this country and the leading cause of disability among adults.
Mercy Stroke Center can help. After complete a rigorous review process, Mercy earned the Gold Seal of Approval from the Joint Commission for Primary Stroke Centers.
Mercy is also an American Heart Association “Get with the Guidelines – Stroke” designated center which aligns treatment with the latest scientific guidelines.
Stroke Information
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked by narrowed blood vessels or blood clots, or when there is bleeding in the brain. Without the necessary oxygen and nutrients, brain cells begin to die within a few minutes. As a result, even nonfatal strokes can cause vision and sensory loss, problems with walking and talking, or difficulty in thinking clearly. In many cases, the effects of stroke are irreversible.
Many risk factors for stroke can be reduced significantly with proper medical care and treatment or by making lifestyle changes.
- Control your blood pressure. High blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for stroke. Because high blood pressure is rarely revealed by symptoms, about half of the people with the condition don't even realize they have it. Blood pressure monitoring is an important reason to have regular medical checkups. Once identified, the problem is usually controllable through a combination of a vegetable-rich, low-fat, and low-salt diet; regular exercise; weight control; and medication.
- Quit smoking. Researchers believe that smoking and exposure to secondhand smoke increase the risk of stroke by damaging blood vessels, speeding up the formation of fatty deposits on artery walls, and raising blood pressure. The risk of stroke declines dramatically within a few years of stopping smoking.
- Improve your diet. Your goal should be to reduce consumption of fat, sodium, cholesterol, and alcohol, while increasing your intake of fruits, vegetables, and nonfat dairy products.
- Maintain a healthy weight and exercise regularly. Extra weight increases the risk of stroke and many other diseases. It puts an added strain on your heart and blood vessels and is associated with high blood pressure. A half-hour of brisk walking a day, coupled with dietary adjustments, will not only help control your weight, but improve your cardiovascular fitness as well.
What Is a Mini-Stroke?
Sometimes, the symptoms of a stroke come and go in a few minutes. Then the attack fades. This is called a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mini-stroke. It's important to recognize the symptoms, because about one-third of those who have a mini-stroke suffer a full stroke later on:
- Numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body.
- Trouble seeing out of one or both eyes.
- Confusion.
- Trouble speaking or understanding speech.
- Dizziness; loss of balance or coordination.
- Severe headaches with no known cause.
If you experience any of the above symptoms, call 911. Potent "clot-buster" drugs are available to dissolve clots and restore blood flow to the brain. Studies have shown that if these drugs are taken within three hours of the stroke, brain damage can be contained and, in some cases, reversed. But the timing is critical. Don't ignore these symptoms, even if they go away.
Patient Support
Disabilities resulting from a stroke can be discouraging. Mercy’s Regional Rehabilitation Center offers free educational classes for stroke patients and their caregivers, as well as Lucky Strokes – a free community support group – to help survivors move forward on the road to recovery. For more information, call 330-489-1333 or 800-223-8662.
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Breast Cancer
The Mercy Cancer Center takes great pride in the care we deliver. To monitor the quality of that care, we track specific quality measures and compare them to benchmark measures. We think consumers have the right to know this information so you can draw your own conclusions regarding your health care choices.
Quality data can be confusing so Mercy Cancer Center is taking the initiative to publish this information in an understandable format. We invite you to review this information and please call us if you have questions. We are committed to providing the very highest quality cancer care.
Breast cancer quality data is the first to be published. Please refer back to our web site in the coming months to see quality data for other cancer diagnoses.
Breast Cancer Quality Data
Mammography MQSA Certification
5-Year Breast Cancer Survival Rate
Percentage of Early Stage Breast Cancer
Minimally Invasive Breast Biopsy
Breast Conservation Surgery
Radiation Treatment with Breast Conservation Surgery
Mammography MQSA Certification
When you have a mammogram, you want to be confident that your healthcare facility is certified and meets the highest standards for personnel qualifications, equipment, radiation dose, quality assurance programs, recordkeeping and reporting. Congress enacted the Mammography Quality Standards Act (MQSA) to ensure women have access to quality mammography services. To become MQSA certified, mammography facilities must employ only registered mammography technologists and undergo a thorough annual inspection conducted by federally trained and certified State surveyors who review over 50 quality indicators.
Mercy
National
% Annual Inspections with No
MQSA Violations
100%*
76.4%
100% at all Mercy locations: Main Campus, North Canton, Jackson, Louisville, Carrollton
5-Year Breast Cancer Survival Rate
Overall survival from breast cancer is the most important goal. Survival is tied to the stage of the disease at the time of diagnosis. Five-year survival rate (the percentage of women who are still alive five years after diagnosis) is the standard measurement that is used to express the outlook for your disease. The cancer stage - noted as a number from 0 to IV - is based on the size of the tumor and whether the cancer has spread to the lymph nodes. The lower the number, the less disease. It is important to remember that these survival rates are based on averages. Some women with advanced breast cancer live significantly longer than seven years and researchers are constantly developing new treatment alternatives to prolong breast cancer survival.
Mercy
National
Combined Stage 0-II
87.4%
87.1%
Combined Stage III-IV
40.9%
42.9%
Combined All Stages
82.7%
82.3%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry Reported to National Cancer Database
Percentage of Early Stage Breast Cancer
Because disease stage at diagnosis significantly influences survival, it is critical to diagnose breast cancers as early as possible. Mercy Cancer Center tracks the percentage of breast cancers diagnosed at Stage 0 through II which offer women the greatest advantage of long-term survival.
Mercy
National
% of Breast Cancers
Diagnosed at
Stage 0-II
91.4%
83.2%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry Reported to National Cancer Database
Minimally Invasive Breast Biopsy
Minimally invasive breast biopsy involves taking a core of breast tissue rather than performing an incision to remove a breast tissue sample. Research shows that conventional surgical biopsies present certain disadvantages including prolonged time to diagnosis, breast scarring, increased pain for the patient and substantially higher costs than the minimally invasive options. It is important to note that not all breast lesions can be biopsied by minimally invasive techniques, but it is a biopsy technique that should be considered when appropriate.
Mercy
National
% of Minimally Invasive
Breast Biopsies
75.6%
65%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry Reported to National Cancer Database
Breast Conservation Surgery
The National Institutes of Health has recommended breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) rather than mastectomy for the majority of women with early stage, invasive breast cancer. Lumpectomy decreases the potential for adverse effects from surgery and minimizes physical alterations. More importantly, studies have proven that long-term survival is no different. Despite these facts, some women still opt for mastectomy.
Mercy
National
% Breast Conservation
Surgery
65.8%
65%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry and Oncology Roundtable Survey
Radiation Treatment with Breast Conservation Surgery
The purpose of breast conservation therapy is to give women the same cure rate they would have if they were treated with a mastectomy but to leave the breast intact, with an appearance and texture as close as possible to what they had before treatment. Breast conservation surgery (lumpectomy) is almost always followed by radiation therapy. The purpose of the radiation treatment is to decrease the recurrence of breast cancer in the remaining breast tissue. Years of clinical study have proven that breast conservation therapy offers the same cure rate as mastectomy.
Mercy
National
% Patients with Breast Conserving
Surgery that Received Radiation
93.4%
85.0%
Source: CIRF Cancer Registry and NCCN 9th Annual Conference
Other Measures of Quality
The mark of excellence can also be defined by other important quality indicators that are not demonstrated through statistics. Mercy Cancer Center is committed to excellence in cancer care as evidenced by:
Three-year accreditation with accommodation as a Comprehensive Community Hospital Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons’ Commission on Cancer
Timely and accurate submission of all patient data to the National Cancer Data Base
Accreditation of Stereotactic Breast Biopsy Services by the American College of Radiology
Bi-weekly multidisciplinary Breast Cancer Conferences
Weekly multidisciplinary Tumor Conferences
Mercy Medical Center Medical Staff comprised of 94% Board Certified Physicians
MERCY, THE FIRST PLACE TO THINK OF FOR YOUR HEART
An Impressive List Of "Firsts"
WORLD'S FIRST:
Angioplasty in an emergency department
NATION'S FIRST:
Accredited Chest Pain Center
Cardiac catheterization in a community hospital
ER use of cardiopulmonary bypass to resuscitate victims of heart attack
Transseptal valvuloplasty on a mitral valve with surgically implanted Carpentier ring
OHIO'S FIRST:
Drug-eluting stent angioplasty
Minimally invasive coronary bypass performed
Biventricular Internal Cardiac Defibrillator Implant
Accredited Heart Failure Institute
STARK'S FIRST:
Chest Pain Center certified for angioplasty 24/7
Transseptal mitral valvuloplasty
Intracoronary ultrasound
Percutaneous aortic balloon valvuloplasty
Unprotected left main coronary stent
Radial stent coronary angioplasty
Akron/Canton's first gamma brachytherapy
Accredited Cardiac Rehab Program
Mercy Heart Center commits the very finest medical resources to caring for its heart patients. Doctors and healthcare teams are leaders in cardiovascular treatment, distinguished not only by their skill, experience and knowledge, but by their excellent track record in helping patients return to active and productive lives.
Mercy has helped pioneer some of the nation’s most innovative heart procedures and was the first hospital in Northeast Ohio to perform Minimally Invasive Direct Coronary Artery Bypass Surgery, a “closed-chest” procedure, which postpones or eliminates the need for open-heart surgery.
Mercy Heart Center medical staff performed this area’s first hybrid revascularization, which combines the da Vinci© robotic single-vessel small thoracotomy (SVST) procedure with angioplasty.
Mercy Emergency Chest Pain Center (ECPC) became America’s first chest pain center to become fully accredited by the Society of Chest Pain Centers. The ECPC is home to a Cardiac Catheterization Lab within Mercy’s Emergency Department, where a Mercy cardiologist was the first in the world to perform an angioplasty inside an emergency department. Studies show that angioplasty, performed within 90 minutes of arrival to the emergency department, is the best way to save the life of a patient experiencing a heart attack. With the area’s only emergency department cath lab, Mercy has the capabilities to dramatically reduce the time between heart attack and lifesaving angioplasty.
