Creighton Stroke Program
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Creighton offers a comprehensive program to care for patients with Stroke. Stroke is the leading cause of disability and the third leading cause of death in the United States.
Stroke is of two types, ischemic and hemorrhagic. In ischemic stroke a blood vessel supplying blood to the brain gets blocked by a clot and that deprives that part of the brain of oxygen and nutrients and thus results in brain cell death. 87% of all strokes are ischemic. Hemorrhagic stroke is caused by a rupture of a blood vessel in the brain.
Stroke Warning Signs
- Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden, severe headache with no known cause
The Critical Time Window
Acute Ischemic Stroke can be best treated within the first 4.5 hours with a clot busting medication, tPA, to re-establish blood flow and save brain cells from dying.
In untreated acute ischemic stroke a patient is losing about 2 million neurons (brain cells) every minute. It is critical to get the stroke patient to a hospital as soon as possible by calling 911.
Creighton Brain Attack Protocol
Creighton has an Acute Stroke Treatment Program which offers a comprehensive array of approved treatments for acute stroke. This includes tPA, thrombolytic (clot busting) treatment which is given to an ischemic stroke patient within the first 4.5 hours of an ischemic stroke. This treatment is proven to benefit an acute stroke patient.
Creighton offers a full complement of stroke treatments which includes catheter based interventions and also Neurosurgical treatments.
Creighton has a multispecialty Stroke program that is led by Neurologists but includes ER physicians, Neuroradiologists, Neurosurgeons, Neurology nurses, Technicians, Physical, Occupational & Speech Therapists. The goal of this team is to provide the best care to our Stroke patients.
*Thanks to Getty images for the graphic
