Stroke Center

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Stroke Program Performance and Quality Measures

You’re never ready for a stroke. But we are.

In the United States, 795,000 people have a stroke every year, with someone having a stroke every 40 minutes. Stroke is also the leading cause of long-term disability in the United States. One in four strokes happen to those who have had a previous stroke.

If you think you are having a stroke, call 911 immediately! Symptoms of a stroke include:

Sudden numbness or weakness in the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or difficulty understanding speech.
Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance, or lack of coordination.

Time is Brain

With a stroke, every second counts. Minutes could mean the difference between recovery and permanent disability – even death – for stroke victims. Prime Healthcare New Jersey’s hospitals provide patients with exceptional care by a multi-disciplinary team of award-winning vascular neurologists, using the latest technology for the fastest diagnoses and treatment of strokes — all to increase the chances of recovery.

What happens when you have a stroke?

A stroke is a “brain attack” and occurs when a blood vessel that carries blood, oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot (ischemic stroke) or ruptures (hemorrhagic stroke). Because the blood, oxygen, and nutrients cannot get to the brain, brain cells die.

Speed and Expertise: Diagnostics

As soon as an ambulance team arrives, care begins. Paramedics conduct a special stroke assessment and call in the results to the Emergency Department while they speed to the hospital.
Our emergency medicine doctors and nurses are waiting at the emergency room, ready to bring the patient for a brain scan and/or other imaging. Other tests are also performed.
Then vascular neurologists take the lead. As the patient undergoes the stroke CT diagnostic test, advanced technology allows the neurologist to simultaneously see exactly what is happening inside the patient’s brain.
Once the specific diagnosis is made, the stroke team develops a plan for treatment.

Speed and Expertise: Treatment

Emergency treatment for stroke depends on whether you’re having an ischemic stroke or a stroke that involves bleeding into the brain (hemorrhagic).

Ischemic stroke

To treat an ischemic stroke, doctors must quickly restore blood flow to your brain. This may be done with:

Emergency IV medication. Therapy with drugs that can break up a clot has to be given within 4.5 hours from when symptoms first started. The sooner these drugs are given, the better. Quick treatment not only improves your chances of survival but also may reduce complications. An injection of thrombolytic is usually given; this drug restores blood flow by dissolving the blood clot causing your stroke.
Emergency endovascular procedures. Doctors sometimes treat ischemic strokes directly inside the blocked blood vessel. Endovascular therapy has been shown to improve outcomes and reduce long-term disability after ischemic stroke. These procedures must be performed as soon as possible:
Endovascular thrombectomy is intended to improve tissue rescue and diminish reperfusion hemorrhage. This procedure may be performed alone or in conjunction with thrombolytics.
Medications delivered directly to the brain. Doctors insert a long, thin tube (catheter) through an artery in your groin and thread it to your brain to deliver thrombolytics directly where the stroke is happening. The time window for this treatment is somewhat longer than for IV thrombolytics, but is still limited.
Removing the clot with a stent retriever. Doctors can use a device attached to a catheter to directly remove the clot from the blocked blood vessel in your brain. This procedure is particularly beneficial for people with large clots that can’t be completely dissolved with tPA. This procedure is often performed in combination with injected tPA.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

Emergency treatment of hemorrhagic stroke focuses on controlling the bleeding and reducing pressure in your brain caused by the excess fluid. Treatment options include:

Emergency measures. If you take blood-thinning medications to prevent blood clots, you may be given drugs or transfusions of blood products to counteract the blood thinners’ effects. You may also be given drugs to lower the pressure in your brain (intracranial pressure), lower your blood pressure, prevent spasms of your blood vessels and prevent seizures.
Surgery. If the area of bleeding is large, your doctor may perform surgery to remove the blood and relieve pressure on your brain. Surgery may also be used to repair blood vessel problems associated with hemorrhagic strokes. Your doctor may recommend one of these procedures after a stroke or if an aneurysm, arteriovenous malformation (AVM) or other type of blood vessel problem caused your hemorrhagic stroke:

Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation

For stroke patients, inpatient beds have been dedicated at Saint Clare’s Denville and Dover hospitals, and has specially trained nurses are available to provide this unique, focused care. The Centers also offer community education programs focusing on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of strokes.

Every person’s stroke recovery is different. Services include: