Our approach to care
A stroke is the sudden death of brain cells due to lack of oxygen that occurs when blood flow to the brain is blocked or damaged. Every 40 seconds in the United States, someone has a stroke. It is a leading cause of death and is a major cause of serious disability for adults.
Centra is accredited by the Joint Commission for its leading advancements in stroke care. Our team is made up of neurological interventional radiologists, vascular neurologists, neurosurgeons, code stroke nurses and caregivers.
Conditions we treat
Ischemic stroke
Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood clot or obstruction in an artery prevents blood from flowing to the brain. This is the more common form of stroke. The underlying condition for this type of obstruction is the development of fatty deposits lining the vessel walls.
Hemorrhagic stroke
Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel inside the brain bursts or leaks. The blood can put pressure on the brain which can damage brain cells. This type of stroke accounts for about 13 percent of stroke cases but tends to have a higher mortality rate than ischemic stroke.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
Transient Ischemic Attack, or a mini-stroke occurs when blood blow to the brain suddenly stops for a short time, causing stroke-like symptoms. Like any other stroke, a TIA requires immediate emergency care. Having a TIA puts you at greater risk of experience a full-blown stroke.
Our experts in stroke care have an emphasis on the following:
- Thrombolytics "clot busting"
- We provide the most up-to-date medications that are designed to break down or dissolve a clot that is causing a stroke. This medication must be delivered to the patient within 4 hours of the “last known well” prior to the symptom onset.
- Thrombectomy
- Another advancement in treating stroke is the surgical removal of the blood clot from the brain. We access the clot and restore blood flow to the brain. This treatment can lower the risk of disability by more than 70% when provided within 24 hours of an acute stroke.
- Viz
- We use Viz, an intelligent care coordination platform, that distributes imaging to our care teams within 63 seconds post-imaging testing. This empowers care teams to save crucial time, provide the quickest diagnosis, reduce leakages and improve the lives of patients.
