Advanced Primary Stroke Center
Cabell Huntington Hospital has earned The Joint Commission's Gold Seal of Approval™ for its Advanced Primary Stroke Center by demonstrating compliance with The Joint Commission's national standards for healthcare quality and safety in disease-specific care. The certification award recognizes Cabell Huntington Hospital's dedication to continuous compliance with The Joint Commission's state-of-the-art standards.
To earn this certification, Cabell Huntington Hospital underwent a rigorous on-site survey evaluating the hospital for compliance with standards of care specific to the needs of patients and families, including infection prevention and control, leadership and medication management.
"In achieving Joint Commission certification, Cabell Huntington Hospital has demonstrated its commitment to the highest level of care for its patients with stroke," said Jean Range, MS, RN, CPHQ, The Joint Commission's Executive Director for Disease-Specific Care Certification. "Certification is a voluntary process, and I commend Cabell Huntington Hospital for successfully undertaking this challenge to elevate its standard of care and instill confidence in the community it serves."
About Strokes
Stroke ranks as the third leading killer in the United States. A stroke can be devastating to you and your family, robbing you of your independence. It is the most common cause of adult disability. Each year more than 700,000 Americans have a stroke, with about 160,000 dying from stroke-related causes.
What is a stroke?
A stroke, or "brain attack," occurs when blood circulation to the brain fails. Brain cells can die from decreased blood flow and the resulting lack of oxygen. There are two broad categories of stroke: those caused by a blockage of blood flow and those caused by bleeding.
Blockage
While not usually fatal, a blockage of a blood vessel in the brain or neck, called an ischemic stroke, is the most frequent cause of stroke and is responsible for about 80 percent of strokes. These blockages stem from three conditions: the formation of a clot within a blood vessel of the brain or neck, called thrombosis; the movement of a clot from another part of the body such as the heart to the neck or brain, called embolism; or a severe narrowing of an artery in or leading to the brain, called stenosis.
Bleeding
Bleeding into the brain or the spaces surrounding the brain causes the second type of stroke, called hemorrhagic stroke.
The two key steps you can take to lower your risk of death or disability from stroke are:
- know the warning signs of a stroke and
- control your risk factors for a stroke.
What are the warning signs?
Warning signs are clues your body sends that your brain is not receiving enough oxygen. If you observe one or more of these signs of a stroke or "brain attack," don't wait! Call a doctor or 911 right away!
- Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- Sudden severe headache with no known cause
Other danger signs that may occur include double vision, drowsiness, and nausea or vomiting. Sometimes the warning signs may last only a few moments and then disappear. These brief episodes, known as transient ischemic attacks or TIAs, are sometimes called "mini-strokes." Although brief, they identify an underlying serious condition that isn't going away without medical help. Unfortunately, since they clear up, many people ignore them. Don't. Heeding them can save your life.
What are the risk factors?
Stroke occurs in all age groups, in both sexes, and in all races in every country. It can even occur before birth, when the fetus is still in the womb. Certain people are at a higher risk of having a stroke than others based on factors they cannot change. For example, advancing age is the primary risk factor for stroke. 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. The stroke risk for men is slightly higher than that for women. But more women die from stroke because, in general, women have strokes at older ages. African Americans are twice as likely to die from stroke as any other racial or ethnic group. Hispanics age 35-64 are 1.3 times more likely to have a stroke than their white counterparts. A risk factor for stroke doesn't mean you'll have a stroke and not having a risk factor doesn't mean you'll avoid a stroke, but your risk of stroke grows as the number and severity of risk factors increases. Take charge of your health and work toward changing the risk factors that you can.
What are the treatable risk factors?
Some of the most important treatable risk factors for stroke are:
High blood pressure. Also called hypertension, this is by far the most potent risk factor for stroke. If your blood pressure is high, you and your doctor need to work out an individual strategy to bring it down to the normal range. Some ways that work: Maintain proper weight. Avoid drugs known to raise blood pressure. Cut down on salt. Eat fruits and vegetables to increase potassium in your diet. Exercise more. Your doctor may prescribe medicines that help lower blood pressure. Controlling blood pressure will also help you avoid heart disease, diabetes, and kidney failure.
Cigarette smoking. Cigarette smoking has been linked to the buildup of fatty substances in the carotid artery, the main neck artery supplying blood to the brain. Blockage of this artery is the leading cause of stroke in Americans. Also, nicotine raises blood pressure, carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen your blood can carry to the brain and cigarette smoke makes your blood thicker and more likely to clot. Your doctor can recommend programs and medications that may help you quit smoking. By quitting, at any age, you also reduce your risk of lung disease, heart disease and a number of cancers.
Heart disease. Common heart disorders such as coronary artery disease, valve defects, irregular heartbeat and enlargement of one of the heart's chambers can result in blood clots that may break loose and block vessels in or leading to the brain. Your doctor will treat your heart disease and may also prescribe medication, such as aspirin, to help prevent the formation of clots.
Warning signs or history of stroke. If you experience a TIA, get help at once. Many communities encourage those with a stroke's warning signs to dial 911 for emergency medical assistance. If you have had a stroke in the past, it's important to reduce your risk of a second stroke. Your brain helps you recover from a stroke by drawing on body systems that now do double duty. That means a second stroke can be twice as bad.
Diabetes. You may think this disorder affects only the body's ability to use sugar, or glucose, but it also causes destructive changes in the blood vessels throughout the body, including the brain. Also, if blood glucose levels are high at the time of a stroke, then brain damage is usually more severe and extensive than when blood glucose is well-controlled. Treating diabetes can delay the onset of complications that increase the risk of stroke.
What disabilities can result from a stroke?
Although stroke is an injury to the brain, a stroke can affect the entire body. The effects of a stroke range from mild to severe and depend upon which area of the brain is damaged. Generally, a stroke can affect five basic areas:
Movement. Paralysis and/or problems controlling movement are among the most common disabilities resulting from stroke. The paralysis is usually on one side of the body and, depending on the severity, can affect mobility, coordination and balance, along with activities of daily living.
Senses & Pain. Sensory disturbances occur when patients lose the ability to feel touch, pain, temperature or position, and can affect the body's functioning, including bowel or bladder control. Stroke survivors frequently have a variety of chronic pain syndromes resulting from stroke-induced damage to the nervous system.
Language. At least one-fourth of all stroke survivors experience language impairments, involving the ability to speak, write and understand spoken and written language. A stroke-induced injury to any of the brain's language-control centers can severely impair verbal communication.
Thinking and Memory. Stroke can cause damage to parts of the brain responsible for memory, learning and awareness. Stroke survivors may have dramatically shortened attention spans or deficits in short-term memory and may lose their ability to make plans, comprehend meaning, learn new tasks or engage in other complex mental activities. Emotions. Many people who survive a stroke feel fear, anxiety, frustration, anger, sadness and a sense of grief for their physical and mental losses. While these feelings are a natural response to the psychological trauma of stroke, some emotional disturbances and personality changes are caused by the physical effects of brain damage. Physicians and counselors may be able to help alleviate these symptoms through counseling, behavior modification and/or medication.
Can a stroke be prevented?
You can help prevent stroke by making healthy choices and managing any medical conditions you might have.
Live a Healthy Lifestyle
Eat a healthy diet. Choosing healthful meal and snack options can help you avoid stroke and its complications. Be sure to eat plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables. Eating foods low in saturated fat and cholesterol and high in fiber can help prevent high blood cholesterol. Limiting salt or sodium in your diet can also lower your blood pressure. Maintain a healthy weight. Being overweight or obese can increase your risk for stroke. To determine whether your weight is in a healthy range, use the body mass index (BMI) calculator.
Be Active
Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower cholesterol and blood pressure. The Surgeon General recommends that adults should engage in moderate-intensity exercise for at least 30 minutes on most days of the week.
Don't smoke
Cigarette smoking greatly increases your risk for stroke. So, if you don't smoke, don't start. If you do smoke, quitting will lower your risk. Your doctor can suggest ways to help you quit.
Limit alcohol use
Avoid drinking too much alcohol, which causes high blood pressure.
Prevent or Treat Your Medical Conditions
If you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes or heart disease, there are steps you can take to lower your risk for stroke.
Have your cholesterol checked
Your health care provider should test your cholesterol levels at least once every five years. Talk with your doctor about this simple blood test.
Monitor your blood pressure
High blood pressure has no symptoms, so be sure to have it checked on a regular basis.
Manage your diabetes
If you have diabetes, closely monitor your blood sugar levels. Talk with your healthcare provider about treatment options.
Take your medicine
If you're taking medication to treat high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, follow your doctor's instructions carefully. Always ask questions if you don't understand something.
Talk with your health care provider
You and your doctor can work together to prevent or treat the medical conditions that lead to heart disease. Discuss your treatment plan regularly and bring a list of questions to your appointments.
Sources: www.nih.gov and www.cdc.gov
- Last updated: 06/16/2011
