Froedtert & Medical College Recognized for Stroke Treatment

The American Stroke Association (a division of the American Heart Association) has recognized Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin for their exceptional performance in the treatment of patients who suffer from a stroke.

Froedtert & The Medical College joined a group of US hospitals that were lauded by the associations in the most recent "America's Best Hospitals" issue of US News and World Report magazine.

Froedtert is the only hospital in southeast Wisconsin to have earned a gold sustained performance award as part of the ASA's "Get with the Guidelines" program.

Get With The Guidelines (GWTG) is the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association's national, hospital-based quality improvement initiative designed to ensure that hospitals consistently care for stroke patients following the most up-to-date guidelines and recommendations. To qualify for a "gold" award, hospitals must sustain performance at 85 percent or higher compliance with specified guidelines for two or more years.

Quality Improvement Leads to Best Patient Care
The need for quality improvement programs is well established, with more than eight million adult Americans having had a heart attack and more than 900,000 developing new or recurrent heart attacks each year. At age 40 or older, 18 percent of men and 23 percent of women will die within a year after their first heart attack.

"As an academic medical center, we are constantly striving to provide the highest quality evidence-based patient care," said Andrew Norton, MD, Froedtert Hospital Senior Vice President of Medical Affairs and Medical College of Wisconsin Associate Professor of Medicine. "Patients who have suffered a stroke often require extremely complex treatment plans and the finest experts in medicine. We are proud to be recognized for the high level of care we provide."

Stroke Can Affect Entire Body
Each year in the United States, more than 700,000 people have strokes. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the country and causes more serious long-term disabilities than any other disease.

There are two types of stroke. The most common kind of stroke, called ischemic stroke, is caused by a blood clot that blocks or plugs a blood vessel in the brain. The brain cells in the immediate area begin to die because they stop getting the oxygen and nutrients they need to function. The other kind of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke, is caused by a blood vessel that breaks and bleeds into the brain.

Stroke damage in the brain can affect the entire body, resulting in mild to severe disabilities. These include paralysis, problems with thinking, problems with speaking, and emotional difficulties. Learning about stroke can help you act in time to save a co-worker, friend, or relative, and making changes in your lifestyle can help you prevent stroke.

Symptoms
Because a stroke injures the brain, you might not realize that you are having one. The people around you might not know it either. Your family, friends, or neighbors may think you are confused. You might not be able to call 911 on your own. That's why everyone should know the signs of stroke - and know how to act fast if you see the following symptoms:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg (especially on one side of the body)
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding speech
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

Take Action
Don't wait for the symptoms to improve or worsen. If you believe you are having a stroke - or someone you know is having a stroke - call 911 immediately. Making the decision to call for medical help can make the difference in avoiding a lifelong disability.

If you believe you are having a stroke - or someone you know is having a stroke - call 911 immediately.

Stroke Prevention
Nearly three-quarters of all strokes occur in people over the age of 65 and the risk of having a stroke more than doubles each decade after the age of 55. For African Americans, stroke is more common and more deadly - even in young and middle-aged adults - than for any ethnic or other racial group in the United States. Conditions that can cause stroke are very common among African Americans. The best treatment for stroke is prevention. You can reduce your risk of having a stroke by taking action to improve your health.

While family history of stroke plays a role in your risk, there are many risk factors you can control:

• If you have high blood pressure, work with your doctor to get it under control. Many people do not realize they have high blood pressure, which usually produces no symptoms but is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Managing your high blood pressure is the most important thing you can do to avoid stroke.
• If you smoke, quit.
• If you have diabetes, learn how to manage it. As with high blood pressure, diabetes usually causes no symptoms but it increases the chance of stroke.
• If you are overweight, start maintaining a healthy diet and exercising regularly.

New Treatments Can Reduce Stroke Damage
New treatments are available that greatly reduce the damage caused by a stroke. But you need to arrive at the hospital within 60 minutes after symptoms start to prevent disability. Knowing stroke symptoms, calling 911 immediately, and getting to a hospital are critical.

The longer blood flow is cut off to the brain, the greater the damage. The most common kind of stroke, ischemic stroke, can be treated with a drug that dissolves clots blocking the blood flow.

The window of opportunity to start treating stroke patients is three hours, but a person needs to be at the hospital within 60 minutes of having a stroke to be evaluated and receive treatment. Every minute counts.

MCW Health News presents up-to-date information on patient care and medical research by the physicians of the Medical College of Wisconsin.