Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death in the U.S., and it’s the No.1 cause of disability. Prompt recognition of stroke symptoms leads to faster treatment, and the sooner treatment begins, the quicker the recovery. Learn more from Mayo Clinic.
“Stroke is a term that refers to disruption of blood flow to the brain, and that can either be a blockage in an artery where the brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, or it can also refer to a bleed in the brain, where one of the arteries in the brain breaks open and causes bleeding into the brain itself,” says Dr. James Klaas, a Mayo Clinic neurologist.
Both types of stroke present similar symptoms, but the treatments are very different.
“It’s very important to get medical attention very quickly because the only way we can often sort that out is by doing an imaging study of the brain,” says Dr. Klaas.
If the stroke is caused by a blockage, there are two primary treatments. The first is a clot-busting medication. The second is a procedure to physically remove the clot.
“These are what we call the endovascular procedures,” says Dr. Felix Chukwudelunzu, a Mayo Clinic neurologist. “We use a guide wire through the blood vessel in the groin and thread it up to that blood vessel in the brain and snag out the blood clot and reopen the blood vessel.”
For a hemorrhagic stroke caused by a burst or leaking blood vessel, the blood increases pressure on brain cells and damages them.
“We’re going to make sure that the blood pressure is not too high. We’re going to make sure the patient’s blood is not too thin — whether from a medical condition or from a medication — and then we’re going to treat that accordingly,” says Dr. Klaas. “If there’s too much blood flow in the brain, there might be pressure, and we might need to relieve that pressure surgically.”
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