When Time is of the Essence: Providing Stroke Care That Counts

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. A leading cause of death and disability, stroke commonly occurs when a vessel supplying blood to the brain is blocked. This condition, known as an ischemic stroke, accounts for 87 percent of stroke cases and must be treated urgently.

In fact, patients experiencing an ischemic stroke have the best outcome if diagnosed within three hours of the onset of symptoms.

“Time is of the essence,” says Habibullah Ziayee, MD, a fellowship-trained interventional neurologist with Valley Health Neurology. “If someone is having facial droop or speech difficulty, or one side of their body becomes severely weakened or paralyzed, then brain tissue is at risk. It is essential to know the warning signs [see below] and get immediate care.”

Top-Quality Treatment

Typically, a computerized tomography (CT) scan is ordered to see if a patient has experienced a hemorrhagic stroke—a brain bleed caused when a weakened blood vessel ruptures. A CT angiogram indicates if there is blockage in the blood vessels, indicating an ischemic stroke.

Additionally, the medical team assesses if the patient is a candidate for clot-busting medications, also known as thrombolytic agents, which must be administered quickly to be most effective.

If an acute stroke is diagnosed, patients throughout the health system are often transferred to Winchester Medical Center for advanced care.

When Dr. Ziayee and his colleagues determine that intervention is needed, they can perform a mechanical thrombectomy—an innovative procedure that removes blockages with the use of catheters. “Basically, we insert a catheter in the groin or wrist and advance it up to the clot,” he says. “We can then suction the clot out of the brain and restore blood flow.”

B.E.F.A.S.T. Action

If you think someone may be having a stroke, consider B.E.F.A.S.T. and do the following test:

• B—Balance: Look for signs of sudden loss of balance or coordination.
• E—Eyes: Find out if the person is experiencing vision loss or blurring.
• F—Face: Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop?
• A—Arms: Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
• S—Speech: Ask the person to repeat a simple phrase. Is the speech slurred or strange?
• T—Time: If you see any of these signs, call 911 right away.

Source: U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Visit valleyhealthlink.com/stroke for more information.