Faster Care, Better Outcomes

Strokes are fast. We’re faster. A stroke can come out of nowhere. Our team is standing by. If needed, additional specialists are just a phone call away. As the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., you bet we take strokes seriously. We want to prevent as much damage to your brain as possible, and that’s why we constantly monitor our response time to patients experiencing a stroke. There is always room to improve.

The hospital has some of the latest diagnostic and therapeutic advances and offers a wide range of interventional neurology options that have the potential to stop a stroke in progress and minimize the potential damage.

We offer mechanical embolectomy - an emergent procedure to remove a blood clot from a brain artery that is causing acute neurological deficits called a stroke. We have the technology and interventional capabilities to remove clots or blockages from blood vessels in the neck or brain, which are some of the most complex stroke cases.

Your care, completed.

What does comprehensive mean at our stroke center? It means providing you with a more aggressive treatment plan. It means getting you back to normal as physically possible. After a stroke, you’ll benefit from our acute rehabilitation service. There is a window of time in which your body will gain the most from rehabilitation therapy. We’ll use that time to the fullest because we’re in this together.

Team Stroke Care

At our center, you’ll work with a diverse team of passionate staff members that’ll see to your every phase of treatment. This group of doctors and nurses bring different specialists and skill sets together for a single purpose—to get you better. From the neurologists that will coordinate your treatment to the nurses in our Step Down Unit who will provide intermediate care between divisions of the hospital, you’ll benefit from each members expertise as they work to help you recover.

Would you recognize the signs and symptoms of a stroke?

“Quick intervention saved my life.”

“I suffered a stroke but was fortunate enough to be within minutes of [Delray], a Comprehensive Stroke Center, which also happens to be one of America’s top specialty care hospitals for stroke care,” says John Lisi, who was in South Florida on vacation with his wife at the time.

“Within 30 minutes of my arrival, the quick-thinking doctors had administered intravenous tPA, a clot-busting drug, into my system. I was awake during my entire treatment, and Dr. Mueller-Kronast explained that my carotid artery was blocked and that he was going to remove the blood clot in my brain. To my surprise, I was out of the hospital three days later and back on my vacation.”

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What Is a Ministroke?

You hear the term “stroke” a lot these days. Sometimes people say they had a “ministroke” or “TIA.” You may be wondering, what exactly do these different labels mean, and which ones should we be concerned about? Here’s what you need to know.

TIA or Transient Ischemic Attack is defined by the American Stroke Association as “a temporary blockage of blood flow to the brain.” TIAs do not typically result in permanent damage. However, they can be serious and should not be ignored, as they can indicate that a full-blown stroke is ahead. A TIA is often referred to as a “ministroke,” but a better term is “warning stroke.”

What are the symptoms of a TIA? Actually, stroke and TIA symptoms can vary widely depending on the part of the brain that is affected. Also, other neurological disruptions, such as migraines, minor seizures and low blood sugar can mimic TIA symptoms. The primary distinguishing feature of a TIA or stroke is that it stems from decreased blood flow located in one particular blood vessel in the brain. Therefore, the effects tend to be associated with a specific brain function, such as speech, vision, sudden isolated weakness, numbness, or drooping on one side of the body or face.

How are TIAs diagnosed and treated? To determine if a TIA or stroke has occurred, it’s important to be evaluated immediately by a doctor at a hospital emergency room or neurology department. Knowing the timing, duration and specific physical details of your experience will be helpful to the doctor.

Tests, such as CT scans or MRI scans, may be performed to help identify a brain injury or an area where blood flow has been compromised. The goal of TIA treatment is to prevent a full-fledged stroke. Depending on the extent of the blockage, doctors may prescribe a clot-dissolving drug. If one of the carotid arteries is significantly narrowed, a procedure to decrease the blockage may be recommended to help prevent future TIAs or strokes.

How is a stroke treated? If it is determined that the event is a stroke, anti-clotting medications and drugs to lower blood pressure and cholesterol may be part of the ongoing treatment. At the first indication of a stroke, getting treatment within three hours is vital for improving long-term outcomes and reducing the risk of permanent disability.

What are the risk factors for TIAs? People who have TIAs often have other cardiovascular risk factors. These can include:

Being middle-aged or older
Having diabetes
Having high blood pressure
Abnormal cholesterol
Being a smoker
Those who get little or no exercise

What can help prevent TIAs and stroke? You’ve heard it before, but these behaviors can help prevent or lower the risks of many health issues, including stroke:

Eating a healthy diet, rich with fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fats.
Getting regular exercise
Not smoking

Stroke Treatment

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