Stroke

Overview

Stroke is a medical emergency where every second counts.

A stroke results from the blockage (ischemic stroke) or bursting (hemorrhagic stroke) of blood vessels to the brain. This means not enough oxygen reaches brain tissue, so brain cells begin to die. As this happens, patients experience loss of function/malfunction of that region of the brain.

About one quarter of patients experience a warning sign—a mini-stroke (called a transient ischemic attack, or TIA). A TIA does not leave permanent damage but warns that a more serious stroke is coming soon. It’s important that TIAs are treated urgently to prevent future strokes.

Remember the phrase FAST:

Face: is one side drooping?
Arms: is one arm hard to lift?
Speech: is speech slurred or confused?
Time: if you see any of those signs, it’s time to call 911 immediately. Every second counts.

Video: Recognize a stroke with these warning signs and act F.A.S.T

Time is Brain. Suspect a Stroke?

Call 911

UR Medicine's Treatments for Stroke

Diagnosis

Stroke patients are assessed quickly in the emergency department by a specialized stroke team that includes vascular neurologists, neurosurgeons, and emergency physicians.

A variety of imaging techniques are used in stroke diagnosis, including:

By these techniques the doctors can pinpoint the area of stroke in the brain as well as the area of blockage of the vessels.

In patients with an “ischemic stroke” (i.e., no blood is seen on their initial CT scan) who arrive in time, a clot-busting medication called tPA can be used to open blocked arteries.

In patients with hemorrhagic stroke (bleeding in the brain), control of blood-clotting factors, blood pressure, and even emergency surgery might be needed.

After initial treatment, patients are either admitted to a dedicated stroke unit or may first require critical care in our neurointensive care unit.

Surgical Treatments

Some patients need emergency surgery to treat blocked or bleeding brain blood vessels.

Our neurosurgeons are fellowship-trained to use special catheters (tiny tubes) and devices to open blocked brain arteries to restore blood flow to the brain.

Following recovery from stroke, our cerebrovascular neurosurgeons can perform surgery or stenting to open a narrowed artery that caused the initial stroke, helping prevent future problems.

Patients with stroke caused by leaking blood vessels (such as burst brain aneurysms or AVM) may require embolization, which uses wires and catheters inside the arteries, and/or open brain surgery.

Recovery & Rehabilitation

Our multidisciplinary stroke team helps manage all aspects of recovery.

While some patients recover within days, it is not unusual for recovery to take weeks to months.

To help stroke patients recover to their maximum potential, each patient is evaluated for their physical, occupational, and speech therapy needs, along with intensive rehabilitation and preventative care to minimize chances of a future stroke.

Neurological rehabilitation may consist of physical or occupational therapy, medicine prescription, modalities, orthotics / bracing, speech and language therapy, or neuropsychology and referrals to other disciplines when needed.

Patient Stories

Kathleen is a Stroke Survivor

When Kathleen suffered a stroke, it was UR Medicine's Stroke Program that fully restored her functionality. This is her story.

Quick Treatment Saved Doug's Life

Every year 140,000 people lose their lives to a Stroke. Because of his wife and the UR Medicine Mobile Stroke Unit, Doug is not one of them.

What Sets Us Apart?

UR Medicine offers world-class treatment and prevention of stroke, including the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region's only Mobile Stroke Unit and dedicated Neuromedicine Intensive Care Unit. The Mobile Stroke Unit drives to people having strokes, saving precious time in delivering life-saving care. The Neuromedicine Intensive Care Unit treats critically ill patients with complex neurosurgical illnesses.

Our facilities include the most advanced MRI and CT capabilities, dedicated neurointensive care unit, and hybrid intraoperative/endovascular biplane angiosuite—technology that improves safety, quality of care, and capacity for complex procedures.

Our neurosurgeons have extensive, subspecialty training in life-saving surgeries. We perform the largest number of these procedures in the Rochester metropolitan area and surrounding region.

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Image: Mobile Stroke Unit: The first of its kind in Update New York and the surrounding region, brings the resources of an emergency room directly to the stroke patient’s driveway.
Image: Interior view of Mobile Stroke Unit

STAR-NY

The Stroke Treatment Alliance of New York aims to improve stroke care by creating an efficient, collaborative regional healthcare process that provides quality, benchmarked treatment for patients with cerebrovascular disease while engaging health systems to share outcomes and processes.

Learn More