Stroke Treatment
Your stroke treatment begins the moment emergency medical services (EMS) arrive to take you to the hospital. Once at the hospital, you may receive emergency care, treatment to prevent another stroke, rehabilitation to treat the side effects of stroke, or all three.
On the way to the hospital
If someone you know shows signs of stroke, call 9-1-1 right away.
Do not drive to the hospital or let someone else drive you. The key to stroke treatment and recovery is getting to the hospital quickly. Yet one in three stroke patients never calls 9-1-1. Calling an ambulance means that medical staff can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room.
Stroke patients who are taken to the hospital in an ambulance may get diagnosed and treated more quickly than people who do not arrive in an ambulance. This is because emergency treatment starts on the way to the hospital. The emergency workers may take you to a specialized stroke center to ensure that you receive the quickest possible diagnosis and treatment. The emergency workers will also collect valuable information that guides treatment and alert hospital medical staff before you arrive at the emergency room, giving them time to prepare.
At the hospital
At the hospital, health professionals will ask about your medical history and about the time your symptoms started. Brain scans will show what type of stroke you had. You may also work with a neurologist who treats brain disorders, a neurosurgeon that performs surgery on the brain, or a specialist in another area of medicine.
Treating ischemic stroke
If you get to the hospital within three hours of the first symptoms of an ischemic stroke, you may get a type of medicine called a thrombolytic (a "clot-busting" drug) to break up blood clots. Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is a thrombolytic.
tPA improves the chances of recovering from a stroke. Studies show that patients with ischemic strokes who receive tPA are more likely to recover fully or have less disability than patients who do not receive the drug. Patients treated with tPA are also less likely to need long-term care in a nursing home. Unfortunately, many stroke victims don't get to the hospital in time for tPA treatment. This is why it's so important to recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke right away and call 9-1-1.
Doctors may also treat ischemic stroke with other medicines, such as blood thinners, as well as surgery to remove the clot.
Treating hemorrhagic stroke
Other medicines, surgery, or procedures may be needed to stop the bleeding from hemorrhagic stroke and save brain tissue. For example:
- Endovascular procedures: Endovascular procedures, which can help repair a weak spot or break in a blood vessel, may be used to treat certain hemorrhagic strokes.
- Surgical treatment: Hemorrhagic strokes may be treated with surgery. If the bleeding is caused by a ruptured aneurysm, a metal clip may be put in place to stop the blood loss.
What happens next?
If you had a stroke, you are at high risk for another stroke:
- One in four stroke survivors has another stroke within five years.
- The risk of stroke within 90 days of a transient ischemic attack (TIA) may be as high as 17%, with the greatest risk during the first week.
That's why it's important to treat the underlying causes of stroke, including heart disease, high blood pressure, atrial fibrillation (fast, irregular heartbeat), high cholesterol, and diabetes. Your doctor may give you medications or tell you to change your diet, exercise, or adopt other healthy lifestyle habits. Surgery may also be helpful in some cases.