Stroke

Stroke Resources

In most cases, stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is shut off or reduced, causing oxygen-starved brain cells to die. It can happen in an instant, without warning, so a fast response and treatment usually mean a better a chance for survival.

Ischemic strokes account for more than 80% of stroke cases. Most ischemic strokes are caused by a blockage (often a blood clot) in an artery in the brain. If an ischemic stroke is treated at the hospital within several hours of the first symptoms, doctors can usually treat it effectively. The blood clot often can be dissolved with a special medication or removed with a thin tube called a catheter.

About 13% of strokes are caused by bleeding in the brain, known as a hemorrhagic stroke. This bleeding is usually a result of high blood pressure, age, or ruptured or abnormal blood vessels in the brain. Patients with a hemorrhagic stroke usually need intensive care and possibly surgery to remove the clot or repair the blood vessel.

Stroke can cause the loss of some or all functions controlled by the part of the brain affected. Speech, movement, and/or memory are the functions most commonly affected by stroke. The effects depend on which part of the brain was affected and how much damage occurred before treatment. Recognizing stroke symptoms and seeking medical care immediately are important factors in preventing death and disability. Click here to learn more about the signs and symptoms of stroke.

What sets UAB Medicine apart

UAB was the first hospital in Alabama to be certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission, a nonprofit national agency that measures the quality of health care. This designation recognizes hospitals that maintain the staff, training, and technology to treat patients with the most complex strokes, at any time of day or night.

UAB treats more than 1,800 strokes each year, the most serious within our dedicated Neurosciences intensive Care Unit and Stroke Unit. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UAB Neurology and Neurosurgery among the top programs of their kind in the nation, in part due to the following factors:

• Stroke care at UAB is delivered by a large team of expert stroke physicians who are on duty 24/7.
• UAB has more board-certified vascular neurologists, neurointensivists, endovascular neurosurgeons, and vascular neurosurgeons than any other hospital in Alabama, plus 350 nurses with special training in stroke care.
• Our 36-bed Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit is among the largest in the United States.
• Because UAB is a major center for stroke research, patients may have access to clinical trials of promising new stroke treatments not available at other medical centers.

Stroke care at UAB Medicine

When a person arrives at the UAB Hospital Emergency Department with a stroke, a “Code Stroke” is activated. A rapid response team evaluates the patient to ensure that we provide the most appropriate care in the shortest time possible. Our advanced treatments include the clot-busting medication alteplase and catheter-based procedures, such as thrombectomy, aspiration, and stenting. Some of our resources and technologies are only available at UAB.

After admission and initial management, patients with stroke are further evaluated in our dedicated Stroke Unit, which is staffed by specialized nurses, physicians, and rehabilitation therapists. One of their goals is to determine the underlying cause of the stroke.

When it’s time to begin the recovery process, UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center provides complete rehabilitation programs that are customized to each patient. UAB created a Stroke Recovery Clinic to help survivors recover faster and with fewer long-term effects. One of only a few clinics of its type in the country, the Stroke Recovery Clinic combines speech, occupational, and physical therapy with neuropsychology care and assistance from social workers.

UAB strives to provide the highest quality of care that is backed by the latest research. This report provides data on key performance measures that reflect our commitment to excellent care.

Care Providers

Ekaterina Bakradze, MD Neurology, Vascular Neurology Adam Beck, MD, FACS Vascular Surgery Felix S. Guerra Castanon, MD Neuro-Oncology, Vascular Neurology, Neurology Michael J. Coccia, DNP Neurology Allie Crane, CRNP Neurology Victor Del Bene, PhD Neuropsychology Wink Fisher, III, MD Neurosurgery

Julia Gray, CRNP Neurology

Toby Gropen, MD Neurology, Vascular Neurology Mark Harrigan, MD Neurosurgery Jesse Jones, MD Diagnostic Radiology, Endovascular Neurosurgery, Neuroradiology, Neurosurgery Isabelle Kallenberg, PA-C Neurosurgery Ronald Lazar, PhD Geriatric Medicine, Neuropsychology Chen Lin, MD Brain Injury and Stroke Rehabilitation, Vascular Neurology Elizabeth Liptrap, MD Brain and Tumor Neurosurgery Sarah Lopes, DO Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Michael Lyerly, MD Neurology, Vascular Neurology

Scott Marshall, MD Neurocritical Care, Neurology, Vascular Neurology

Vu Nguyen, MBA, MD Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Marc Passman, MD Endovascular Surgery, Vascular Surgery

Darshna Patel, CRNP Neurology

Mark Patterson, MD Vascular Surgery Benjamin Pearce, MD Endovascular Surgery, Vascular Surgery

Craig M. Powell, MD, PhD Neurology

Cynthia Rambin, CRNP Neurology Kristen Sandefer, MD Neurology Philip Schmalz, MD Endovascular Neurosurgery, Neurosurgery, Skull Base Surgery Angela Shapshak, MD Neurocritical Care, Neurology, Vascular Neurology Stephen Suggs, MD Vascular Neurology, Neurology Danielle Sutzko, MD Vascular Surgery Muhammad Bilal Tariq, MD Neurology, Vascular Neurology Xiaohua Zhou, MD Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation

Videos

Resources

• Stroke Transfer Considerations
• Stroke Facts and Numbers
• How to Identify a Stroke
• National Stroke Association
• NIH – Stroke
• UAB Division of Cerebrovascular Disease
• StrokeNet

Related Specialties

• Heart-Brain Clinic
• Neurosciences Program