This chart shows where Memorial Stroke Center patients go after they are discharged from the hospital. 

Throughout 2020, Memorial gave patients experiencing an irregular heart rhythm blood thinners to prevent a stroke nearly 100% of the time.

Clot busting drugs, known as tPA, are given to some stroke patients in the ED. The drugs are very good at busting up the clot and will sometimes restore brain function back to normal. These drugs can only be given to stroke patients in the first 3-4 hours after their stroke symptoms first appear. The time frame to give the clot busting drug is short. This is why it is so important to immediately call 911 for a person with any stroke symptoms.

The graph below shows the percent of stroke patients that received the clot busting drug in the ED that were eligible to receive the drug. 

When an injury occurs that causes bleeding, the body sends out signals to cause the blood to clot at the wound. Normally, the clot breaks down as the wound heals. In a patient that has had a stroke, the process for breaking down clots doesn’t work correctly. It is important that the patient is sent home on medicine that helps the clots break down correctly.

The graph below shows the percent of stroke patients that have been prescribed medicine to help clots break down when discharged from the hospital. 

When an injury occurs that causes bleeding, the body sends out signals to cause the blood to clot at the wound. Normally, the clot breaks down as the wound heals. In a patient that has had a stroke, the process for breaking down clots doesn’t work correctly. During their hospital stay, it is important that the stroke patient is started on medicines to help break down clots quickly.

This graph show the percent of stroke patients who have been given medicine to help clots break while in the hospital. 

It is important for patients that have had a stroke to be on medicine (known as statins) to lower cholesterol if their LDL (bad cholesterol in the blood) is above 100. Cholesterol is a type of fat in the blood that increases a patient’s chance of having a stroke and heart attack if the level is too high.

This graph shows patients at Memorial who had a stroke were given medicine to lower their cholesterol, which can help prevent future strokes. 

Rehab services after a patient has had a stroke is very important. Often, some level of speech, movement and thinking ability is lost after a stroke. With various rehab services, including speech, occupational and physical therapy, these abilities can often be improved. At Memorial, it’s very important that all stroke patients are assessed by a qualified therapist to determine needed rehab services.

This graph shows the rate at which Memorial assessed stroke patients for rehab services to improve their abilities. 

A stroke is often caused by a blood clot that blocks the blood vessels feeding the brain. There are steps that can be taken at the hospital to lower the chance that additional blood clots will form.

The chart below shows the percent of stroke patients who received the care needed to lower the chance they will get additional blood clots. 

It is important for a stroke patient to know what they need to do to manage their health to lower their chance of having another stroke. It is very important for the patient to receive the following information before going home:

• Plan for a follow-up appointment with your doctor
• What medicines to take at home and when
• Stroke risk factors
• Warning signs and symptoms of a stroke
• The importance of calling 911 right away when a person has any stroke signs and symptoms

This graph shows how often stroke patients were given written instructions about how to take care of themselves and prevent future strokes.