Boy, 6, suffers from a stroke that can jeopardize the life that causes paralysis: “rare complication”

Christmas Eve is usually an evening of fun and festival, but for an Illinois family in 2023, it came with a medical emergency that can endanger their lives.

After enjoying a few holiday traditions, the Patton family had just sat down at the dinner table when Peston Patton, who was 6 years old at that time, suddenly fell to the floor.

“He has just fallen from his chair and was Limp,” said Shawn Patton, Preston’s father, according to a statement by Osf Healthcare. “I didn’t think I was a stroke, but I just knew something was going wrong.”

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Patton immediately called the 911 and the first they answered hurried his son to Osf Healthcare.

At the hospital, a team of emergency doctors and pediatrics evaluated the situation. A brain examination revealed that Preston had a blood clot in his brain and that his heart function had dropped to 10%.

It is also known as brain venous thrombosis (CVT), this condition is rare in children, usually affecting only one or two in 100,000 children and adolescents, showing statistics.

“He had a complete paralysis on his body’s left side,” said Sourabh Lahoti, MD, vascular and interventional neurologist at the Osf Illinois Illinois Neurological Institute, in the statement.

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“No movement was made and the vision of his left visual field was lost. He could not move his eyes left either,” Lahoti, who directed Preston’s care.

“He had the indicating signs of a stroke that affected the right side of his brain.”

Exploration showed that the clot was blocking blood flow to the right side of Preston’s brain.

“No movement was made and the vision of its left visual field was lost.”

“We had to remove this clot. If we had not done so, it was likely that it would have developed a very large stroke,” said Lahoti.

“This would not only have been potentially paralyzed for the rest of his life, but could have endangered his life.”

The doctors performed a procedure called a thrombus, in which a small, thin catheter is inserted into a blood vessel to remove the blocked artery clot.

Preston is one of the few children in the world to undergo this intervention that saves life, according to a press release.

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When the doctors began the procedure, the clot had traveled to a smaller blood vessel, which made it difficult to eliminate.

“The farther the clot is, the greater the risk of removing it, because we enter into very tiny blood vessels in the brain,” Lahoti said. “We decided to take this risk and prevent a lifelong disability.”

Shortly after the removal of the clot, doctors saw a “complete investment” of Patton’s symptoms.

He was “really magical,” recalled Dr. Lahoti in launch, especially after he had arrived at the hospital in a complete paralysis.

“After the anesthesia was taken off, he woke up and was able to move his arm and left leg again.”

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Before the thrombus therapy was available, patients had no other options, the doctor said.

“The usual course was that they were left with paralysis for life and they could never live again,” Lahoti said.

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Doctors now believe that Preston stroke was caused by a “rare complication” of a recent infection of flu.

“Due to the flu, there was a cross reaction of the immunity that his body built,” Lahoti said. “His immune system attacked the flu virus, but also his kidneys and heart.”

“Due to this, his heart was really done, and we think this led to the formation of a clot in the heart. The clot traveled from the heart to his brain.”

Preston’s father said that his deceased wife (Preston’s mother and his sister, Carter), had died from a pulmonary embolism, which made the young man’s medical emergency even more “emotionally challenging.”

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After a couple of weeks in the hospital, Preston is going well and enjoying his favorite activities again.

“He goes to Ot (Occupational Therapy) once a week, PT (Physical Therapy) once a month,” said Shawn Patton in an interview with Osf Healthcare. “She gets along quite well.”

“We had to remove this clot. If we did not, it was likely that it would have developed a very big blow.”

“My leg is better,” Preston added.

“Yes, the leg improves. Your hand will also improve,” his father reassured him.

Preston has not yet been able to play baseball again, but he has reassembled the bike.

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“It’s difficult to cling to the handlebars and things like that. We just have to keep working hard,” said Shawn Patton.

Inspired by her challenge and recovery, Preston said she wants to become a nurse, according to the hospital, “because nurses took care of her so well.”