ACUTE STROKE

Course overview

STROKE RANKS AS THE SECOND LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH WORLDWIDE AND IS A MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR TO DISABILITY, THEREBY IMPOSING SIGNIFICANT ECONOMIC BURDENS. ACUTE STROKE CAN BE CATEGORIZED AS ISCHEMIC OR HEMORRHAGIC, WITH SOME OVERLAP IN RISK FACTORS AND CLINICAL PRESENTATIONS; HOWEVER, THEIR MANAGEMENT APPROACHES DIFFER SUBSTANTIALLY. ISCHEMIC STROKES OCCUR WHEN BLOOD VESSELS ARE OBSTRUCTED, LIMITING THE BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE BRAIN. IN CONTRAST, HEMORRHAGIC STROKES RESULT FROM BLOOD VESSEL RUPTURE, CAUSING BLOOD TO SPILL INTO THE INTRACRANIAL CAVITY. INTERPROFESSIONAL AND MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAMWORK IS NECESSARY FOR PROMPTLY IDENTIFYING, TREATING, AND PROVIDING EFFECTIVE CARE TO PATIENTS WITH ACUTE STROKE THROUGHOUT THEIR RECOVERY AND REHABILITATION JOURNEYS.CLINICAL GUIDELINES FOR ISCHEMIC STROKE, INTRACEREBRAL HEMORRHAGE, AND SUBARACHNOID HEMORRHAGE ADVOCATE FOR INTERPROFESSIONAL HEALTHCARE TEAMS IN PREHOSPITAL AND HOSPITAL SETTINGS TO ENHANCE PATIENT OUTCOMES. A MULTIDISCIPLINARY TEAM PROVIDES REHABILITATION SERVICES DURING AND AFTER HOSPITALIZATION TO FACILITATE FUNCTIONAL RECOVERY AND PROMOTE PATIENT INDEPENDENCE FOR INDIVIDUALS WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED AN ACUTE STROKE. THIS COMPREHENSIVE OVERVIEW OF ACUTE STROKE IS BASED ON THE CURRENT AHA/ASA (THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION/THE AMERICAN STROKE ASSOCIATION) GUIDELINES AND RELEVANT PUBLISHED LITERATURE. IT IS DESIGNED TO UPDATE HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS ABOUT THIS POTENTIALLY DISABLING AND LIFE-THREATENING CONDITION TO MAXIMIZE CLINICAL RECOVERY FOR EACH PATIENT AND REDUCE THE GLOBAL IMPACT OF STROKE.