Stroke Treatment

WellStar Health System now includes two Primary Stroke Centers certified as Centers of Excellence by the Joint Commission (JCAHO).

Emergency Room Treatment

Chances for recovery are greatest when treatment is started immediately after a stroke has occurred. Emergency room treatment may include:

• Use of a clot busting medication called tPA that helps to break up a clot in an ischemic stroke. Clot busters are most effective when administered within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, or “last known normal.”
• Corticosteroids and other medications that can be used to help reduce or control brain swelling after a hemorrhagic stroke.

Preventive Treatment

Preventing stroke or reducing the risk of repeated strokes can involve medication and/or surgery. Preventive treatment for ischemic stroke can include:

• Medications, called anticoagulants or antiplatelet agents, that prevent blood clots from forming.
• Carotid endarterectomy, which is surgery to remove blood vessel blockage from the carotid artery.
• Balloon angioplasty and implantation of stents to treat cardiovascular disease and reduce fatty buildup clogging a vessel.

Preventive treatment for hemorrhagic stroke can include:

• Surgery to either place a metal clip at the base of the aneurysm or to remove the abnormal vessels of an arteriovenous malformation (AVM), which is a snarled tangle of arteries or veins.
• Endovascular procedures, which introduce a catheter through a major artery in the leg or arm. The catheter is guided to the aneurysm or AVM where it leaves a mechanical agent to prevent rupture.