Stroke treatment

What is stroke rehabilitation? Stroke rehabilitation or "rehab" helps you regain as much independence and quality of life as possible. Rehab can help you physically, emotionally, socially, and spiritually after stroke. It helps restore you to optimal health, functioning, and well-being. Rehabilitate comes from the Latin "habilitas" which means "to make able again." The stroke rehab team The stroke rehab team revolves around the patient and family. The team helps set short- and long-term treatment goals for recovery and is made up of many skilled professionals, including: • Doctors, such as a neurologist (a doctor who treats conditions of the nervous system such as stroke), a physiatrist (a doctor who specializes in physical medicine and rehabilitation) and internists • Rehab nurses • Rehab specialists • Physical therapists • Occupational therapists • Speech and language pathologists • Registered dietitians • Social workers and chaplains • Psychologists, neuropsychologists, and psychiatrists • Case managers The stroke rehab program The outlook for people who have had a stroke today is more hopeful than ever due to advances in both stroke treatment and rehabilitation. Stroke rehab works best when the patient, family, and rehab staff works together as a team. Family members must learn about physical and mental changes caused by the stroke and how to help the patient become functional again. Rehab medicine is designed to meet each person's specific needs. So, each program is d...

Carotid artery The carotid arteries are a pair of blood vessels. There's one on each side of the neck. The carotid arteries deliver blood to the brain and head. Carotid angioplasty (kuh-ROT-id AN-jee-o-plas-tee) and stenting are procedures that open clogged arteries to restore blood flow to the brain. They're often performed to treat or prevent strokes. The carotid arteries are located on each side of your neck. These are the main arteries supplying blood to your brain. They can be clogged with fatty deposits (plaque) that slow or block blood flow to the brain — a condition known as carotid artery disease — which can lead to a stroke. The procedure involves temporarily inserting and inflating a tiny balloon into the clogged artery to widen the area so that blood can flow freely to your brain. Carotid angioplasty is often combined with another procedure called stenting. Stenting involves placing a small metal coil (stent) in the clogged artery. The stent helps prop the artery open and decreases the chance of it narrowing again. Carotid angioplasty and stenting may be used when traditional carotid surgery (carotid endarterectomy) isn't possible, or it's too risky. Why it's done Carotid angioplasty and stenting may be appropriate stroke treatments or stroke-prevention options if: • You have a carotid artery with a blockage of 70% or more, especially if you've had a stroke or stroke symptoms, and you aren't in good enough health to undergo surgery — for example, if you have se...

UF Health unveiled the state's first Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit in a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the University of Florida on Monday. The unit is equipped to bring stroke treatments to the victim, allowing medical professionals to respond more quickly in life-threatening situations. UF Health President David R. Nelson said that the mobile unit and others to come could help treat and save many of the 40,000 stroke victims UF Health sees. "The university's aspiration was really to help create the healthiest generation. Every day our UF Health physicians and researchers offer leading edge treatments that are transforming patient care, and hopefully revolutionizing how medicine is practiced,” he said. “I'm just really grateful to be a small part of what I think is the most exciting initiative UF Health has ever launched.” More: More: The mobile unit is equipped with a CT scanner, clot-busting drugs and other medications to help treat stroke. It will be staffed with a stroke-trained nurse, a CT technician, a paramedic, an EMT driver and a remote stroke neurologist. Traci D’Auguste, the chief operating officer of UF Health Shands, emphasized the importance of saving time when treating stroke victims. “By deploying these resources directly to the patient out in the field, the team can begin treatment while in transit to the nearest stroke center. This saves critical minutes to reduce long-term disability from the stroke,” she said. The unit will be staffed 12 hours each day and ...

The treatment for ischemic stroke is clot removal. Doctors can accomplish this with medication and mechanical treatments: Medication Treatment with Alteplase IV r-tPA Considered the gold standard, Doctors administer Alteplase IV r-tPA through an IV in the arm, dissolving the clot and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived. Many people don’t arrive at the hospital in time to receive the medication, which can save lives and reduce long-term effects of stroke. So it’s important to identify stroke and seek treatment immediately. Mechanical Treatment to Remove the Clot An In this procedure, doctors use a wire-cage device called a stent retriever. They thread a catheter through an artery in the groin up to the blocked artery in the brain. The stent opens and grabs the clot. Special suction tubes may also remove the clot. The procedure: • Should be done within six hours of the onset of acute stroke symptoms. • Can benefit patients under certain conditions if done within 24 hours of onset. • Should include Alteplase IV r-tPA treatment in eligible patients Additional resources for acute ischemic stroke and treatment: • • •