Peter Giordano, December 2022
Stroke survivor / mechanical thrombectomy performed by Dr. David Fiorella.
On December 29, 2022, Pete Giordano was as happy as could be. The day before, he had submitted all his paperwork for his February 2023 retirement from his job with the Town of Hempstead. And minutes earlier, he’d left his favorite Japanese restaurant in Hauppauge in great spirits, joking as usual, with his wife and two cousins.
No one expected what happened next. Pete’s speech began to slur, his face shifted, and then he suddenly passed out in his wife’s arms in the restaurant parking lot. Within minutes of calling 9-1-1, the police, along with a Stony Brook Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) arrived.
While onboard the MSU, Pete was examined via telemedicine by neurointensivist, Dr. Neil Nadkarni, and neurology fellow, Dr. Nick Koroneos. He also received a clot buster medication while in transit to Stony Brook University Hospital. Pete’s CT scan and CT angiogram that were taken while onboard the MSU were reviewed by neurointerventionalist, Dr. David Fiorella back at the hospital.
Pete was diagnosed with a major stroke and a large vessel occlusion – which occurs when there is sudden blockage of a major artery supplying the brain. When Pete arrived at Stony Brook University Hospital, Dr. Fiorella and his team were already waiting and performed a mechanical thrombectomy to immediately restore blood flow to Pete’s brain to prevent ongoing irreversible brain damage.
By New Year’s Eve, Pete was back home watching the ball drop in Times Square. He went back to work the following Monday, and is now enjoying a fully active life in retirement with his wife Helen.
