Stroke Treatment

Stroke Treatment

Stroke Treatment

Treatment for How Is a Stroke Treatment depends on whether it is ischemic or hemorrhagic. Treatment for a transient ischemic attack depends on its cause, how much time has passed since symptoms began, and whether you have other medical conditions.

Strokes & TIA's are medical emergencies. If you have stroke symptoms, you can call nine-one-one right away. Do not drive to the hospital/let someone else drive you. Call an ambulance so that medical personnel can begin life-saving treatment on the way to the emergency room. During a stroke, every second counts.

Once you receive initial treatment, your doctor will try to treat your stroke risk factors and prevent complications.
Treating Ischemic Stroke & Transient Ischemic Attack

An ischemic stroke / TIA occurs if an artery that supplies oxygen-rich blood to the brain becomes blocked. Often, blood clots cause the blockages that lead to ischemic strokes & TIAs.

Treatment for an ischemic stroke / TIA may include medicines & medical procedures.
How Is a Stroke Treatment ?


1. Medicine.


A medicine called tissue plasminogen activator can break up blood clots in the arteries of the brain. A doctor will inject tPA into a vein in your arm. This medicine must be given within four hours of the start of symptoms to work. Ideally, it should be given as soon as possible.

For medical reasons, your doctor can not give you TPA, you may get an antiplatelet medicine. For example, aspirin may be given within fourty eight hours of a stroke. Antiplatelet medicines help stop platelets from clumping together to form blood clots.

Your doctor also may prescribe anticoagulants, / blood thinners. These medicines can keep blood clots from getting larger & prevent new blood clots from forming.


2. Medical Procedures


If you have carotid artery disease, your doctor may recommend a carotid endarterectomy / carotid artery percutaneous coronary intervention, sometimes referred to as angioplasty . Both procedures open blocked carotid arteries.

Researchers are testing other treatments for ischemic stroke, such as intra-arterial thrombolysis & mechanical clot removal in cerebral ischemia or MERCI.

In intra-arterial thrombolysis, a long flexible tube called a catheter is put into your groin or call upper thigh & threaded to the tiny arteries of the brain. Your doctor can deliver medicine through this catheter to break up a blood clot in the brain.

MERCI is a device that can remove blood clots from an artery. During the procedure, a catheter is threaded through a carotid artery to the affected artery in the brain. The device is then used to pull the blood clot out through the catheter.


3. Treating Hemorrhagic Stroke


A hemorrhagic stroke occurs if an artery in the brain leaks blood or ruptures or call breaks open. The first steps in treating a hemorrhagic stroke are to find the cause of bleeding in the brain & then control it.

Unlike ischemic strokes, hemorrhagic strokes aren not treated with antiplatelet medicines & blood thinners. This is because these medicines can make bleeding worse.

If you are taking antiplatelet medicines / blood thinners & have a hemorrhagic stroke, you will be taken off the medicine.

If high blood pressure is the cause of bleeding in the brain, your doctor may prescribe medicines to lower your blood pressure. This can help prevent further bleeding.

Surgery also may be needed to treat a hemorrhagic stroke. The types of surgery used include aneurysm clipping, coil embolization & plus shun, & arteriovenous malformation repair.


How Is a Stroke Treated?


4. Aneurysm Clipping and Coil Embolization


If an aneurysm or a balloon, it is like bulge in an artery, is the cause of a stroke, your doctor may recommend aneurysm clipping / coil embolization.

Aneurysm clipping is done to block off the aneurysm from the blood vessels in the brain. This surgery helps prevent further leaking of blood from the aneurysm. It also can help prevent the aneurysm from bursting again.

During the procedure, a surgeon will make an incision or cut in the brain & place a tiny clamp at the base of the aneurysm. You will be given medicine to make you sleep during the surgery. After the surgery, you will need to stay in the hospitals intensive care unit for a few days.

Coil embolization is a less complex procedure for treating an aneurysm. The surgeon will insert a tube called a catheter into an artery in the groin. He or she will thread the tube to the site of the aneurysm.

Then, a tiny coil will be pushed through the tube & into the aneurysm. The coil will cause a blood clot to form, which will block blood flow through the aneurysm & prevent it from bursting again.

Coil embolization is done in a hospital. You will be given medicine to make you sleep during the surgery.


5. Arteriovenous Malformation Repair


If an AVM is the cause of a stroke, your doctor may recommend an AVM repair. An AVM is a tangle of faulty arteries and veins that can rupture within the brain. AVM repair helps prevent further bleeding in the brain.

Doctors use several methods to repair AVMs. These methods include:

a. Surgery to remove the AVM
b. Injecting a substance into the blood vessels of the AVM to block blood flow
c. Using radiation to shrink the blood vessels of the AVM

6. Treating Stroke Risk Factors

After initial treatment for a stroke or TIA, your doctor will treat your risk factors. He or she may recommend lifestyle changes to help control your risk factors.

Lifestyle changes may include quitting smoking, following a healthy diet, maintaining a healthy weight, & being physically active.

If lifestyle changes aren not enough, you may need medicine to control your risk factors.


7. Quitting Smoking


If you smoke / use tobacco, quit. Smoking can damage your blood vessels and raise your risk of stroke and other health problems. Talk with your doctor about programs and products that can help you quit. Also, try to avoid secondhand smoke. Secondhand smoke also can damage the blood vessels.

For more information about how to quit smoking, go to the Healthy Inside and Outside article.


8. Following a Healthy Diet


A healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle. Choose a variety of fruits, vegetables, and grains; half of your grains should come from whole-grain products.

Choose foods that are low in saturated fat, trans fat, & cholesterol. Healthy choices include lean meats, poultry without skin, fish, beans, & fat free / low fat milk and milk products.

Choose & prepare foods with little sodium. Too much salt can raise your risk of high blood pressure. Studies show that following the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating plan can lower blood pressure.

Choose foods & beverages that are low in added sugar. If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

Maintaining a healthy weight can lower your risk of stroke. A general goal to aim for is a body mass index of less than twentyfive.

BMI measures your weight in relation to your height & gives an estimate of your total body fat. You can measure your BMI using the NHLBI's online calculator, or your health care provider can measure your BMI.

A BMI between twentyfive and thirty is considered overweight. A BMI of thirty or more is considered obese. A BMI of less than twentyfive is the goal for preventing a stroke.

For more information about losing weight & maintaining your weight, go to the link healthy inside and outside.


9. Being Physically Active


Regular physical activity can help control many stroke risk factors, such as high blood pressure, unhealthy cholesterol levels, & excess weight.

Talk with your doctor before you start a new exercise plan. Ask him or her how much and what kinds of physical activity are safe for you.

People gain health benefits from as little as sixty minutes of moderate-intensity aerobic activity per week. The more active you are, the more you will benefit.

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