Stroke Care

Your specialized stroke care begins the moment you enter our emergency department (ED). Suspected stroke patients are sent immediately for a CT scan of the head, and the results are obtained from the radiologist within minutes of completion.
 
While the patient is still in the ED, the emergency department physician will make contact with a neurologist who specializes in stroke, a neurosurgeon or a stroke interventionalist based upon the results of the patient’s CT scan. Stroke care decisions are made immediately upon receiving the CT scan images, lab results and the patient’s overall condition.
 
Timing is of particular importance for stroke patients as those who present within 4.5 hours of symptom onset are prime candidates for the drug tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA). T-PA is a game-changing stroke treatment that helps dissolves clots and restores blood flow to the brain tissue that is dying from lack of oxygen.  

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), stroke is the fifth leading cause of death for women. In the United States, 1 in 5 women between the ages of 55 and 75 will have a stroke.

While women may have the typical stroke symptoms, they also may experience more subtle signs:

• Severe headache

• Generalized fatigue or weakness

• Confusion, disorientation or memory problems

• Nausea or vomiting

• Hiccups

The Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification Program of DNV Healthcare USA Inc. integrates certain requirements of the CMS Conditions of Participation for Hospitals, Guidelines of the Brain Attack Coalition and Recommendations of the American Heart Association / American Stroke Association®.