Effective treatment of stroke has been found to prevent long-term disability and save lives. Stroke experts have set out standards which define good stroke care, including:
- a rapid response to a 999 (UK) or 911 (USA) call for suspected stroke
- prompt transfer to a hospital providing specialist care
- an urgent brain scan (for example, computerised tomography [CT] or magnetic resonance imaging [MRI]) undertaken as soon as possible
- immediate access to a high quality stroke unit
- early multidisciplinary assessment, including swallowing screening
- stroke specialised rehabilitation
- planned transfer of care from hospital to community and longer term support
Initial treatment for a stroke happens in the hospital. The sooner you get treatment, the better. The worst damage from a stroke often occurs within the first few hours. The faster you receive treatment, the less damage will occur.
In the hospital
Your treatment will depend on whether the stroke is caused by a blood clot (ischemic) or by bleeding in the brain (hemorrhagic). Treatment focuses on restoring blood flow for an ischemic stroke or controlling bleeding for a hemorrhagic stroke.
Before starting treatment, your doctor will use a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of your head to diagnose the type of stroke you’ve had.
