Stroke treatments

In the last few years, important new advances have been made in stroke treatment but these new treatments need to be started within a few hours of the onset of symptoms to be effective. That's why its so important to recognize the warning signs of a stroke as soon as they appear and call 9-1-1 or your local emergency number for immediate medical assistance.

There are three main emergency treatments for stroke. The treatment you get depends on the type of stroke you have, how bad your stroke is, your age and general health, and how soon you arrive at the hospital. Whatever treatment you receive, remember that making healthy lifestyle choices to change your risk factors for stroke is an important part of your treatment and recovery.

t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator)

Thrombolytic drugs such as t-PA are often called clot busters. t-PA is a drug that can stop a stroke caused by a blood clot by breaking up the clot. t-PA is short for tissue plasminogen activator and can only be given to patients who are having a stroke caused by a blood clot (ischemic stroke) and must be given within three hours of the onset of symptoms. But in some cases, t-PA cannot be used and other drugs are required.

Surgery

In some cases, surgery may be required to repair damage after a stroke or to prevent a stroke from occurring. Surgery may be performed to remove blood that has pooled in the brain after a hemorrhagic stroke, to repair broken blood vessels, or to remove plaque from inside the carotid artery.

Non-surgical procedures

Some people may benefit from treatments that are performed through a thin, flexible tube called a catheter into the blood vessels or the brain. Many of these procedures are new and experimental and not all hospitals may be able to do them. Catheter-based procedures are being developed to remove plaque buildup from arteries and to treat aneurysms (weak spots in the wall of a blood vessel that can bulge outward and rupture).