Stroke

The need to get the right patients to the right hospital transforms this medical issue into an organizational one - Dr. Mitchell Elkind

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Stroke Study Sparks Call for Revamping Emergency Care Plan

Although neurologist Amie Hsia was hundreds of miles away from the emergency room team caring for her ailing aunt last February, she knew her symptoms and imaging pointed to a severe stroke. Hsia’s aunt needed treatment fast with a clot-busting medicine and a procedure known as an endovascular thrombectomy, which removes the clot and restores blood flow to oxygen-starved patches of the brain.

The hospital caring for her wasn’t equipped to perform the surgery, however, so Hsia insisted she be transferred to a nearby hospital, where the clot was removed from her brain. Hsia’s aunt survived and is able to live independently, despite some remaining symptoms from the stroke. Still, the…

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Can a smart watch save you from a stroke?

Join an ambitious study to detect the most common heart arrhythmia using your smart watch. Contribute your data and save lives.

Coronavirus May Pose a New Risk to Younger Patients: Strokes

Doctors have reported a flurry of cases in Covid-19 patients — including a healthy 27-year-old emergency medical technician in Queens. After a month in the hospital, he is learning to walk again.

Coronavirus’s new mystery: It’s causing strokes in healthy people

“These people are clotting, and we can’t shut it off.”

Fewer people attended hospital with stroke during the pandemic – but why?

In the event of a stroke, the well-known mantra is “time is brain”. Even small delays in identifying symptoms and seeking specialist care can be detrimental to a patient’s recovery and long-term quality of life. This is the case even for relatively mild strokes. So it’s alarming that hospitals in the UK – and worldwide – saw the number of people attending with suspected stroke fall during the pandemic.

More Millennials Are Having Strokes

Not all of Mitchell Elkind’s stroke patients are on social security. In recent years he has treated devastating attacks in people as young as 18. And he is not alone. A growing body of research indicates strokes among U.S. millennials—ages 18 to 34—have soared in recent years.

Reversing the Damage of a Stroke

For one patient, a decade of recovery took determination, persistence and the courage to weather repeated setbacks.

The future of stroke patients may depend on the part-time job of a Canadian surgeon

The best hope for stroke patients may come not from the giant research labs of industrial pharma, or the biotech hotbeds of Boston or San Francisco, but from the relative backwater of Toronto, Ontario.

This Revolutionary Stroke Treatment Will Save Millions of Lives. Eventually.

A procedure called EVT is creating radically better outcomes for patients, but only when it’s performed quickly enough — and that requires the transformation of an entire system of care.

Articles of Interest

A Breakthrough Stroke Treatment Can Save Lives—If It’s Available

The ‘thrombectomy’ is transforming stroke care, pre-empting brain damage in many patients, but the medical establishment is far from making it standard practice.

A Fast Track to Treatment for Stroke Patients

Video-conferencing, mobile robots and virtual neurologists help limit damage.

For Treating Severe Strokes, All Hospitals Aren’t Equal

A revolutionary procedure called thrombectomy can treat severe strokes, but most hospitals in the U.S. don’t perform it.

More stroke patients eligible for crucial treatments under new guidelines

The guidelines recommend more people should be considered to undergo a procedure called mechanical thrombectomy, in which doctors remove blood clots using a device threaded through a blood vessel. In addition, the guidelines suggest that more people should be considered eligible for a clot-dissolving IV medication called alteplase.

Rethinking the stroke rule 'time is brain'

Neurologist who coined phrase says message is not so simple anymore.

Stroke: Everything you need to know

Stroke is a major cause of death and disability in the UK and across the world. What is stroke, how many people does it kill and how are mortality rates changing?

A Dose of Singing Does Stroke Patients Good

Clinical trial looks at how music therapy can help patients get better.

A Hidden Factor in Stroke Severity: The Microbes in Your Gut

A new study in mice demonstrates that manipulating the microbiome can influence the extent of brain damage caused by a stroke.

A New Focus on Aspirin in Preventing Strokes

The drug may play a more important role than previously thought.

A Revolution in Stroke Care: Thrombectomy

An advanced procedure called 'thrombectomy' is transforming stroke care in America. It can be used to treat the most severe stroke patients -- but timing is critical.

A Stroke Diagnosis via Selfie

The face of Stacey Yepes, a 49-year-old woman in Toronto, froze in place in April. She, like any frozen-faced person would understandably do, went to the emergency room. But the doctors couldn't find anything wrong with her, so they told her to go home and manage her stress better, as the CBC reported. Good advice! But the sensation came back two days later, and this time Yepes was ready with her smartphone...

A stroke took away this neuroscientist's sense of past and future

Jill Bolte Taylor recalls all the things she forgot.

Acute Stroke: From Prehospital Care to In-Hospital Management

Delays in diagnosis and treatment can have devastating effects on the outcomes for these patients. In this article, we describe a patient who initially presented with altered mental status and was subsequently determined to have an acute ischemic stroke.

African American And High-Risk? 4 Ways To Prevent A Deadly Stroke

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., striking every 40 seconds and claiming a life every four minutes. Contrary to public opinion, strokes are not just an elderly problem, and they certainly are not strictly a male problem. In fact, strokes skew toward women, claiming twice as many lives as breast cancer. One in five women will have a stroke in her lifetime. A closer look at the stroke demographics uncovers even more disconcerting facts about the disease. Regardless of age or gender, strokes impact African Americans more than any other racial population in the U.S. Why?

Clot-Grabbing Devices Offer Better Stroke Outcomes

Long-term follow-up of patients in a 2014 study confirms that stroke patients recover better if doctors physically remove a clot from a blocked artery instead of just letting the clot-busting drug tPA try to do the job.

For Many Strokes, There’s an Effective Treatment. Why Aren’t Some Doctors Offering It?

A charismatic, riveting speaker, Dr. Hoffman has given educational courses across the country and many medical professionals have listened to informational tapes in which he presented his critique of the evidence. And his influence has spread.

Hercules has Nothing on Kevin Sorbo

Surviving three strokes and an untreated aneurysm makes Kevin Sorbo much more like Hercules than his TV character.

I had a stroke when I was 29. My brain aged 10 years overnight.

The estrogen in some birth control pills increases the chance that women taking them will develop a blood clot or venous thrombosis like the one that caused my stroke and hemorrhage, leading neurovascular surgeon Dr. Ricardo Hanel told me. It also ups the likelihood of a pulmonary embolism when a clot blocks the arteries in your lung, and dural sinus thrombosis when a clot blocks blood flow from the brain.

In search of the stroke detector

Up to 50% of stroke diagnoses are inaccurate. What if a small biosensor could do the job precisely? Robert McCrum, who survived a ‘brain attack’ 22 years ago, traces one team’s long journey to a breakthrough.

Inflamed brains, toe rashes, strokes: Why COVID-19's weirdest symptoms are only emerging now

These symptoms sound scary, but they should be expected. Here's what scientists know about the "new" effects of the coronavirus.

Monumental Change in Stroke Treatment: Combining the Old With the New

“The mantra in stroke treatment is that ‘Time is brain,’ so we needed a more efficient and effective standard of care,” Dr. Fitzsimmons said. While IV tPA alone may take hours to dissolve a blood clot, thrombectomy can remove a clot in a matter of minutes. “This is the most significant development in stroke therapy in twenty years,” Dr. Fitzsimmons said. “Technology has advanced to the point where we now have thrombectomy devices to help patients that are far superior to anything from the past.

My brush with a stroke

It’s World Stroke Day on October 29, and although you may have used the phrase “I almost had a stroke!” when referring to something shocking or terrible, did you know that there’s more than one type of stroke, and the type determines the treatment a patient receives?

New Findings Could Save Lives of More Stroke Patients

Many more stroke victims than previously thought can be saved from disability or death if doctors remove blood clots that are choking off circulation to the brain, a new study has shown.

New Guidelines Aim to Help Women Prevent Stroke

The first-ever guidelines for preventing stroke in women don’t fool around. They offer ways to prevent this disabling and potentially deadly event from adolescence to old age.

Pondering “Telestroke” While Covering A Telestroke Service

Telestroke is a revolutionary concept. A game-changer. Rural areas may not have neurologists in the area to see patients at hospitals, or may not have the capacity to have them available 24 hours a day. This places a neurologist at the bedside, and in a situation where “time is brain,” we are able to not only treat more patients with t-PA, but can also partner with emergency medicine providers to give the drug as soon as possible.

So You Can Use a Clot Retriever? Great, but Not Enough

Stroke needs to go the way of trauma care to protocolize endovascular thrombectomy, one expert says.

Stroke - Can We Turn It Around?

Not only is stroke incidence increasing but there is usually no effective treatment. In the meantime controlling the risk factors of high blood pressure, diabetes and weight may help decrease your risk.

Stroke - Is the Treatment Worth the Risk?

It's sad to say that customary stroke treatment is similar to how heart attacks were treated before the 1970's. New technology is needed, not just clot busters. In the meantime know where the nearest stroke treatment center is.

Stroke: The Overlooked Killer

Contrary to popular wisdom, what you don't know can sometimes hurt you, and badly. For older adults in particular, this is true when it comes to stroke.

The window for treating stroke victims was only 6 hours. Wednesday, it became much longer

"The big news is that we were all wrong in how we were thinking about how strokes evolve," Albers said. "We are quadrupling the stroke treatment window today. … It's going to have a massive impact on how stroke is triaged and assessed."

Too Young to Have a Stroke? Think Again

Although a vast majority of strokes occur in people over age 65 (the risk is 30 to 50 per 1,000 in this age group), 10 percent to 15 percent affect people age 45 and younger (a risk of 1 in 1,000).

Triple Win for Clot Retriever Devices in Acute Stroke

Early endovascular clot removal improved stroke outcomes over medical treatment with thrombolytics alone, three trials showed here in what was seen as major verification that would change practice.

Resources

Stroke Connection

Though strokes often have common effects, each one is also different. And each stroke survivor's journey is as unique as the individual themselves

After Stroke

After Stroke, a program of March of Dimes Canada, is MODC's new Canadian model of care to support stroke survivors and caregivers after a stroke.

Cochrane Stroke

The Cochrane Stroke Group is based in Edinburgh and has been part of Cochrane since August 1993. Cochrane is an international organisation that aims to help people make well-informed decisions about healthcare by 'preparing, maintaining, and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions'...

Different Strokes

Different Strokes is a registered charity providing a unique, free service to younger stroke survivors throughout the United Kingdom. Our services and the number of stroke survivors benefiting from them have grown dramatically. We are run by stroke survivors for stroke survivors, for active self help and mutual support.

Know Stroke

Welcome to the NINDS Know Stroke site where the NINDS offers a wide range of materials about stroke prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation.

Man Dog Stroke

This blog is a kind of sequel to my book Man, Dog, Stroke. I’m the Man in the title. The blog is meant for anyone, of course, but may be of particular interest to those affected by stroke, whether stroke survivor or carer for a stroke survivor or a professional working with those affected by stroke.

Stroke

Our mission is to build healthier lives, free of cardiovascular diseases and stroke. That single purpose drives all we do. The need for our work is beyond question.

Stroke Awareness Foundation

Stroke Awareness Foundation improves community awareness of stroke and its treatment through advocacy, education and public awareness programs in the community.

Stroke Survivor

D.C. Paul survived a stroke at the young age of 36. In the years since, he has focused his positive energies on setting goals and following his dreams. He has published three books and speaks regularly.

StrokeNet

Online stroke support and information resources.

The Internet Stroke Center

The Internet Stroke Center exists to advance understanding of stroke research and clinical care. Our goal is to provide current, professional, un-biased information about stroke. The information on this site is obtained from published accounts, meeting presentations, internet searches, and direct correspondence.

The Stroke Network

We provide on-line support to stroke survivors and stroke caregivers of adult stroke. Usually, a stroke caregiver or another member of the stroke family will seek out a web site looking for information about stroke after their loved one has just had one.

American Stroke Association

All the resources you need, now all in one place.

American Stroke Foundation

The vision of the American Stroke Foundation is to reach out to stroke survivors and their families across America and empower them to reclaim hope for life after stroke.

Brain Attack Coalition

Representing medical, scientific, advocacy, and government professionals from across the stroke continuum, the Brain Attack Coalition (BAC) is dedicated to setting direction, advancing knowledge, and communicating best practices to improve our ability to prevent and combat stroke.

Chest, Heart & Stroke Scotland

Chest, Heart and Stroke Scotland aims to improve the quality of life for people in Scotland affected by chest, heart and stroke illness through medical research, advice and information, and support in the community.

Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation

Study in the field of stroke rehabilitation is extensive and wide-ranging, owing largely to the complexity of the clinical presentation of the individual with stroke and the interdisciplinary nature of the practice of stroke rehabilitation. The Evidence-Based Review of Stroke Rehabilitation (EBRSR) is the most comprehensive and up-to-date review available examining both therapy-based and pharmacological interventions associated with stroke rehabilitation.

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) conducts and supports research on brain and nervous system disorders.

National Stroke Association

National Stroke Association is the only national organization in the United States that focuses 100% of its efforts on stroke. National Stroke Association achieves its mission to lower the incidence and impact of stroke by developing compelling community outreach programs, calling for continued improvement in the quality of stroke patient care, and educating both healthcare professionals and the general public about stroke.

NIH Stroke Scale

Excellent resource for quick scoring of the NIH stroke scale.

SecondsCount

You don’t have to be old to have a stroke. Anyone can have one. But some people are more at risk than others.

Stroke Association

The Stroke Association is the only UK wide charity solely concerned with combating stroke in people of all ages. It funds research into prevention, treatment and better methods of rehabilitation, and helps stroke patients and their families directly through its Rehabilitation and Support Services.

Stroke Association of Southern California

Stroke is caused by interruption of the flow of blood to the brain and is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States. Stroke affects every aspect of meaningful life for survivors and families.

Stroke Foundation

The National Stroke Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation that works with the public, government, health professionals, patients, carers and stroke survivors to reduce the impact of stroke on the Australian community.

Stroke Foundation NZ

The Stroke Foundation provides information and support to people with a stroke, their family/whanau and caregivers. Our network of Field Officers and stroke support clubs assist the stroke-affected community. We also provide information through literature, videos and our helpline to the general public.