Stroke: Knowing the symptoms and getting quick treatment can save a life.

1. Know and modify your risk.

“Taking an active role in having a healthy lifestyle is key. If you smoke, quit. If you are overweight, modify your diet and exercise habits,” says Dr. Itrat. “And if you have another known  condition that increases your risk, follow up with your physician regularly.”

Cleveland Clinic’s stroke risk calculator can help you assess your risk of stroke. 

2. Learn stroke symptoms and warning signs.

A simple way to remember the warning signs of stoke is to use a simple acronym: BE FAST

In younger people, severe onset of a headache can also be a warning sign, specifically for hemorrhagic strokes or bleeding in the brain.

3. Act quickly if symptoms appear.

“If you experience any of these symptoms, don’t wait to get help. There is much that can be done in the first hours after identifying a stroke to help improve blood flow to the brain and impact recovery,” says Dr. Itrat. “Time to treatment can mean the difference between a person being able to walk and go home versus needing full-time nursing care.”

Because about 2 million brain cells can be lost every minute the brain goes without blood flow, it truly is a situation where every minute counts.

Cleveland Clinic’s stroke system offers high quality care across Northeast Ohio.

Cleveland Clinic cares for one of the largest populations of stroke patients in the country, with more than 9,100 encounters annually. These volumes have allowed us to build one of the best-developed stroke systems of care in the U.S.

The Comprehensive Stroke Center on Cleveland Clinic’s main campus serves as the hub in an integrated stroke care network. This is the highest level of stroke certification provided by the Joint Commission, earned only by an elite group of hospitals across the U.S. for providing state-of-the-art, leading-edge care for the most complex stroke cases.

Cleveland Clinic health system also boasts an additional six Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Centers, 10 Primary Stroke Centers and six free-standing emergency departments capable of initiating acute stroke treatment.

What does this mean in your community?

“In order to meet the requirements for Joint Commission accreditation as Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, Akron General had to show demonstrated capabilities including the ability to care for patients exhibiting disabling stroke symptoms, not transferring stroke patients to other facilities, and monitoring outcomes of care provided,” explains Dr. Itrat.

The facilities have an acute stroke team available 24/7, a neurologist accessible 24/7 in person or via telemedicine, designated stroke beds, sufficient diagnostic services, and the ability to provide IV thrombolytics, and track, monitor and report performance measures.

“We have proven we are able to perform these services and perform them reliably, and have the processes in place to take care of all stroke symptoms, including those with large blood clots in the brain which might benefit from a process to remove the clot,” Dr. Itrat adds.

All of our emergency departments can treat stroke patients with tenecteplase  –  a modern “clot busting” medication which can be administered through a vein to reduce disability from stroke. This medication is administered to ischemic stroke patients who meet eligibility criteria and arrive at the hospital within 0-4.5 hours of stroke symptom onset.

Akron General offers a second type of treatment for stroke:

• Mechanical thrombectomy – a minimally invasive clot retrieval method that involves inserting a very small catheter through an artery until the blocked blood vessel is reached, a small device retriever is deployed, the clot is captured and removed, and blood flow is restored to the brain.

Access to advanced care when you need it.

Nearly 1 in 4 strokes occur in people who have had a previous stroke. Advanced care, including carotid stenting procedures, is available to these individuals at Cleveland Clinic’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.