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STROKES: THE IMPORTANCE OF TIMELY TREATMENT
Ankit A. Patel, MD is Memorial Hermann Katy Hospital’s Stroke Medical Director and specializes in treating patients who have experienced a stroke. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds and someone dies due to stroke related complications every four minutes. Fortunately, it is possible to reduce the impact a stroke has on your overall outcome by getting treated as quickly as possible at the right healthcare facility. Dr. Patel, a neurologist who treats stroke patients at Memorial Hermann Katy daily, shares what you should know about strokes, including when and where to receive treatment. Q: What is a stroke? Are there different types? A: A stroke occurs when blood f low to the brain is interrupted and remains interrupted, causing brain tissue to die. Broadly, there are two types of strokes: ischemic and hemorrhagic. An ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel is blocked by a blood clot, preventing oxygen rich blood from making its way to the brain. Ischemic strokes are the most common type of stroke and account for approximately 87 percent of all strokes, according to the American Stroke Association. The other type of stroke is a hemorrhagic stroke, which occurs when a blood vessel inside the brain bursts, causing blood to leak into the brain. There are various stroke risk factors everyone should be aware of. Those with high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, obesity, family history of stroke, tobacco use, illegal drug use, or an unhealthy diet are all at an increased risk for stroke. Q: What are the signs and symptoms of a stroke? A: There are multiple signs and symptoms of a stroke you should know for yourself or for those around you that may be at an increased risk. We use the acronym “BE FAST” to make it easier to remember the warning signs. It is important to note that you can experience one or multiple symptoms if you are having a stroke. These symptoms can be subtle. Pain is not a common
symptom of an ischemic stroke, so many patients experiencing one are not alarmed by their symptoms due to lack of pain. BE FAST B ALANCE –Did they show a sudden loss of balance or coordination? E YES –Are they experiencing sudden double, blurred, or loss of vision? F ACE – Does their face droop on one side when smiling? A RMS – Are they experiencing weakness or numbness in their arms or legs? Does one side drift downward when arms and legs are raised? S PEECH – Do they have slurred speech? Are they having trouble speaking clearly or comprehending speech? T IME – Themost important thing you can do is call 911 immediately if any of these symptoms are present. Q: What should you do if you or someone you’re with is experiencing a stroke? A: Timely treatment is everything when it comes to strokes, hence the acronym “BE FAST.” The longer you wait, the longer the brain does not have access to blood f low and there is more damage that can occur. False alarms are never harmful, so if you or someone you are with is exhibiting any warning signs, themost important thing you can do is to call 911 as soon as possible. If you are experiencing the stroke, do not drive yourself to the closest emergency room — call 911 instead. EMS personnel are trained in pre-hospital screenings and will know the closest hospital equipped to handle stroke patients. Going to a hospital that does not have physicians with expertise in strokes or available treatment options can
be detrimental to a patient. Memorial Hermann has four certified Comprehensive Stroke Centers and six Primary Stroke Centers, which are the best places to go if you or someone you know is exper iencing a st roke. Memorial Hermann Katy is one of these accredited Primary Stroke Centers. Our Stroke Center is fully prepared to take
Ankit A. Patel, MD Neurologist
care of any stroke patient with the most innovative and effective treatment options and themost highly trained, multidisciplinary stroke teams. Q: What treatment options are available? A: Memorial Hermann Katy offers the most advanced stroke imaging and treatment options for patients. Our onsite stroke teams and teleneurology specialists carefully and quickly assess which treatment option is best based on the type of stroke the patient is having. We also utilize an innovative platform that usesmachine learning and artificial intelligence to quickly detect patients with large blood vessel occlusions. The technology can then alert andmobilize the stroke team members, which saves precious time in care coordination. Importantly, Memorial Hermann provides robust treatment for ischemic strokes, such as intravenous alteplase, which is an agent that dissolves blood clots. We also offer endovascular therapy that involves weaving small catheters into the arteries of the brain to extract a large clot. Sometimes, alteplase and endovascular therapy are used together depending on the patient’s specific stroke. With hemorrhagic strokes, patients should get treatment immediately, as these strokes are more life-threatening. Treatment usually involves lowering blood pressure or sometimes surgery to reduce pressures in the brain. In summary, time is crucial when treating strokes. The sooner you get treated, the better outcome you may have, and many patients may be able to return to their normal selves with timely treatment. Conclusion: Memorial Hermann Katy’s stroke center is highly equipped to assess and treat stroke patients.
To learn more, visit memorialhermann.org/stroke
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KATY EDITION • MAY 2022
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