A New Treatment Saved Her Life

Loretta Kupsky is on the road to recovery after a stroke

Loretta Kupsky was folding laundry when she suddenly fell to the floor. “She couldn’t talk right or stand up,” says her husband, Bill Kupsky. Loretta, 76, of Orefield, was having a stroke. Bill called 9-1-1 right away, and the ambulance rushed them to Lehigh Valley Hospital—a decision that probably saved Loretta’s life.

Lehigh Valley Hospital is a Certified Stroke Center, featuring a Stroke Rapid Response Team that could offer Kupsky her best chance for survival. The hospital was the first in eastern Pennsylvania—the second in the state—to be certified as a stroke center by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO), and was recertified early in 2006.

When Loretta arrived at the hospital, a CT scan of her brain confirmed a clot was blocking blood flow to the right side of her brain. To determine the best treatment, neurologist John Margraf, M.D., consulted with interventional radiologist James Newcomb, M.D.

The team threaded X-ray-guided catheters into Loretta’s brain and injected the clotbusting drug tPA directly into the clot. As a Certified Stroke Center, Lehigh Valley Hospital is the only local hospital certified to use this method, reducing the risk of bleeding and doubling tPA’s effectiveness.

Within a couple of hours, Margraf reported the good news to Bill Kupsky: they were able to open the clot. The next day, Bill was amazed at his wife’s progress. “She was a much different person from the day before. She was back to normal,” he says.

Thanks to Bill’s quick actions and the stroke team’s use of an advanced treatment, Loretta is on the road to a full recovery. She completed six weeks of rehabilitation and now does exercises at home to strengthen her left arm and leg.