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Waterbury
Hospital is certified by the Connecticut Department of Public Health
as a Primary Stroke Center.
Waterbury Hospital provides the very latest and
best treatment options for stroke victims.
Our
Stroke Center Team treats patients
who have had strokes and TIAs (transient ischemic attacks) by
providing
emergency stroke treatment, as well as education
for hospital inpatients and the community on stroke
risk factors and
warning signs,
stroke prevention and
rehabilitation.
Recognizing a Stroke:
If
you think a loved one is having a stroke, do the
"F.A.S.T."
test:
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F.A.S.T.
(Face,
Arms,
Speech
and Time)
|
|
Face |
Ask the
person to smile; does one side of the
face droop? |
|
Arms |
Ask the
person to raise both arms; does one arm
drift downward? |
|
Speech |
Ask the person to repeat a simple
sentence; are the words slurred? Can
he/she repeat the sentence correctly? |
|
Time |
If the person shows
any of
these symptoms, act
FAST
and CALL
911. |
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Click here to view:
"Stroke Heroes
Act Fast" (Animated
Video) produced by
Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
and Control Program Massachusetts Department of Public Health
What Is A Stroke?
A stroke occurs when a blood vessel bringing blood
and oxygen to the brain gets blocked or bursts. When this happens,
part of the brain cannot get the blood, oxygen and nutrients that it
needs and brain tissue starts to die. When part of the brain dies
the part of the body it controls is affected. Because your brain
controls how you move, feel, think and act, having a stroke can
affect all of these functions. The result can be paralysis, visual
and speech problems as well as cognitive and behavior changes.
What are TIAs?
(transient ischemic attacks)
A
transient ischemic attack is a
"warning stroke" or "mini-stroke" that produces stroke-like
symptoms, but has no lasting impact on the patient's health.
Although most strokes are not preceded by TIAs, statistics show that
more than one third of those who have experience one or more TIA,
are more likely to experience a stroke than those who haven't. TIAs
occur when a blood clot temporarily blocks an artery disrupting
the necessary blood flow to a part of the brain. The onset of
symptoms occurs rapidly, and is usually short-lived, less than five
minutes, the average being only one minute.
Medical Illustration Copyright © 2009 Nucleus
Medical Art, All rights reserved
What Are The Warning Signs of a Stroke or TIA?
Learn to recognize a stroke because time lost is
brain lost!
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Sudden numbness or weakness of
the face, arm or leg (especially on one side of the body)
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Sudden confusion, trouble
speaking or understanding
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Sudden trouble seeing in one or
both eyes
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Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of
balance or coordination
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Sudden severe
headache with no known cause
Emergency Stroke Treatment
Waterbury Hospital’s Emergency Department is trained to quickly
assess stroke patients in order
to determine the type of stroke and severity of damage. A CT Scan
will be performed and read quickly, to determine if the patient is
eligible to receive
t-PA, a clot-busting
medication shown to significantly reduce long-term disability if
given within three hours of the stroke.
Rehabilitation
After a stroke you may have to change or relearn how
you live day to day. The goals of rehabilitation are to increase
independence, improve physical functioning, help you gain a
satisfying quality of life after a stroke and help you prevent
another one. Licensed physical and occupational therapists and
speech language pathologists are part of the stroke team and work
with physicians, nurses and case managers, to address each patient's
needs and help him or her achieve maximum function.
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Physical
therapy—improve or regain as much mobility and independence with
movement (walking, balance and coordination) as possible
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Occupational
therapy—assist in every day tasks and self care ( bathing,
toileting, and dressing)
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Speech therapy—to
improve language and speech challenges and treat swallowing
disorders
- Medical Nutrition Therapy—Assess
nutritional status, monitor diet tolerance and provide education
on healthy life style options
Risk factors
Knowing your risk for stroke is the first step in
preventing stroke. The more risk factors you have, the great the
chance of having a stroke. Some you can change or treat by changing
your daily habits, having regular medical check ups and taking
medications as prescribed.
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Risk factors I can change or treat: |
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Smoking
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High Blood Pressure
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High Cholesterol
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Diabetes
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Carotid or other artery disease
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Atrial fibrillation
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Obesity
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Physical inactivity
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Excessive alcohol intake
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And
risk factors that can't be changed:
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Increasing Age-
The older you are the greater your stroke risk
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Gender-more
men than women have strokes but more women die form stroke
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Heredity and race-African
Americans and Hispanics have a higher risk of stroke
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Prior stroke
– if you have had a TIA (transient ischemic attack, a kind of
"warning stroke" with stroke symptoms but no lasting damage) or
stroke you’re at a high risk of having another
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Family history of stroke
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- Emergency Medicine Physicians
- Neurologists
- Nurses
- Speech Language Pathologists
- Physical and Occupational
Therapy Specialists
- Registered Dietitians
- Clinical Pharmacists
- Case Managers
- Hospitalists
- Radiologists
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Our stroke team provides the most
evidence based care to diagnose and treat stroke swiftly and
aggressively. The team
develops a care plan for each patient that includes physical, occupational and
speech therapy, as well as a stroke prevention program that may include diet and
other lifestyle changes.
Contact
us:
Kelly Poskus, MS, RN, CNRN
Stoke Coordinator
Waterbury Hospital
203-573-7268
Resources
American Heart Association
National Stroke Association
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