Stroke

Stroke — When Minutes Matter

If you or someone around you has signs of a possible stroke, don't delay, call 911 and go to the nearest hospital.

Stroke is a medical emergency that affects the brain. It is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. Healthcare professionals know that "time lost is brain lost," so it is critical to obtain medical care as soon as the signs of a stroke become apparent.

Primary Stroke Center

Stroke, or disruption in blood flow to the brain, does not have to be fatal, and treatment within 60 minutes of the onset of a stroke can help prevent permanent disability. If you or someone around you shows signs of a possible stroke, call 911 immediately. If a patient is categorized as a "stroke alert," Emergency Medical Services will transport that patient to a designated stroke center for treatment.

Wellington Regional Medical Center has been designated as one of nine primary stroke centers in Palm Beach County, Florida by the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration, a state-regulated agency that champions accessible and affordable quality healthcare for all Floridians. To receive the designation, care provided to stroke patients must meet national guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association.

When a "stroke alert" patient is transported to Wellington Regional Medical Center, members of a Stroke Alert Team work together to provide direct care to the patient, and assist the emergency department physician in a rapid examination, assessment and diagnosis. Teleneurology services may be used during this process.

Because "time is brain," a rapid response is essential for providing stroke patients with the best chance of recovery. Stroke is treatable, usually with a medication called tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) that helps break clots and can lessen the lasting effects of a stroke. The potential for the use of tPA is time-sensitive, so it is important to note the time the signs of stroke first appeared.

Wellington Regional Medical Center's goal in managing stroke patients is to improve neurologic recovery and help reduce the incidence of disability. The hospital's designation as a Primary Stroke Center shows that it offers high quality care to the community.

Stroke Recovery

Recovery from a stroke cannot be easily predicted and may affected by a number of factors, including the rapidity of recovery after the symptoms began, the severity of the symptoms, the size of the stroke and the cause of the stroke. Only about 20 percent of stroke patients have near to full recovery.

Long-term treatment and care for stroke patients may include medication, physical therapy, and changes in personal lifestyle (tobacco cessation, dietary changes, daily exercise, etc.). For most patients, this can be done through outpatient rehabilitation and coordinated care between the neurologist and a primary care physician, but may require some time in a rehabilitation hospital. Caseworkers can help patients and families through this process, because it is often family support that keeps the recovery process on track after a patient returns home.

Common Signs of a Possible Stroke

Because stroke presents in any number of ways, the initial signs are often difficult to recognize, but most commonly include the following in isolation or in combination:

• Sudden onset of signs.
• Numbness/tingling or weakness typically on one side of the body, involving the face, arm and leg.
• Confusion or difficulty with talking or understanding what is being said.
• Changes with vision including double vision or difficulty seeing normally in one or both eyes.
• Loss of coordination while walking, using the arms or legs, or dizziness/vertigo (spinning sensation).
• Severe headache with no known cause.