Stroke

Overview

In the U.S., stroke is the 5th leading cause of death, just below heart disease, cancer, respiratory disease and accidents. A stroke is a medical emergency that requires medical care right away. If you or someone near you is having a stroke, call 911 at once.

For every minute without treatment during a stroke, you lose up to two million brain cells. For every 30 minutes without blood flow to the brain, your chance for the best outcome decreases by at least 10 percent. That means time lost equals brain function loss.

What Happens During a Stroke?

For your brain to work properly, it needs a constant supply of oxygen-rich blood. A stroke cuts off blood flow to the brain. When blood flow stops for even a few minutes, brain cells die permanently, which can affect any bodily function, depending on where in the brain the stroke happens.

Stroke can affect your ability to:

• Control bodily functions
• Eat, drink and swallow
• Move your arms or walk
• See and speak clearly
• Think and remember

Types of Stroke

There are three types of stroke:

• Hemorrhagic—when a blood vessel in your brain bursts, causing uncontrolled bleeding.
• Ischemic—the most common type, when a blood vessel to the brain becomes blocked, stopping blood flow to a part of the brain.
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA)—called ministrokes, TIAs usually clear up in less than an hour and don’t cause permanent brain damage.

Stroke Risk Factors

Stroke can affect anyone at any age. Certain risk factors increase your chance of stroke. This includes diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, obesity, smoking, lack of exercise and other factors.

Stroke Symptoms

Any stroke is an emergency. It’s important to know the signs of a stroke and get treatment quickly, when it is most effective.

FAST is an easy way to remember the signs of a stroke:

• Face droops on one side
• Arm weakness on one side
• Speech is difficult or slurred
• Time to call 911 and note the time symptoms first appeared, even if you’re unsure or if symptoms go away

State-of-the-Art Stroke Diagnosis

Stroke is life-threatening and requires accurate diagnosis and treatment as soon as possible. Because treatment depends on the type of stroke, our stroke care teams will perform procedures to learn the location of your stroke.

Combined with your medical history and physical exam, these diagnostic tests often can accurately diagnose and characterize a stroke within minutes. This greatly increases your chance of a good recovery.

Advanced Diagnostic Testing

Diagnostic procedures for stroke may include:

• Computed tomography (CT) imaging scan—shows bleeding or damage to brain cells and helps identify the location or type of stroke.
• Computed tomographic angiography (CTA)—shows blockages in blood vessels or other blood vessel irregularities.
• Cerebral angiogram—an invasive test where a catheter is inserted into the arteries of the brain to directly evaluate them with extreme precision.
• Doppler sonography (carotid ultrasound)—this noninvasive test uses sound waves to see if plaque has narrowed or blocked your carotid arteries.
• Electroencephalogram (EEG)—a noninvasive test that evaluates electrical activity (brain waves).
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)—creates images to find small changes in brain tissue.
• Magnetic resonance angiography (MRA)—a type of MRI that looks specifically at your body’s blood vessels.

Stroke Treatment

Don’t drive yourself or let another person drive you to the hospital if you have stroke symptoms. In an ambulance, emergency medical staff (EMS) can begin treatment and contact the emergency department to prepare for your arrival.

Our Emergency Department doctors and stroke team will tell EMS whether to begin clot-busting medicine and any other therapies. This ensures you get the fastest, most effective treatment possible.

Your doctor will create a care plan for you based on:

• How well you handle certain medicines, treatments or therapies
• Severity and type of your stroke
• The cause of your stroke
• Where in your brain the stroke occurred
• Your age, overall health and health history
• Your opinion or preference (if you aren’t able to provide it, we’ll ask a family member)