Stroke

Treatment

The treatment of stroke can be divided into two main types: treatment given as soon as possible after stroke onset, surgery and rehabilitation.

Treatment given as soon as possible after onset
As soon as the patient arrives at hospital, tests are normally given to establish the type of stroke that the person has experienced. These tests usually include a brain scan called a CT-scan. The patient may be given treatment to support basic life functions such as breathing, to reduce pain and stress, and to maintain sodium, potassium and calcium in their body fluids and eventually infections and fever may be treated.

Medications given soon after the stroke has occurred include blood clot-dissolving drugs and drugs that prevent further blood clotting.

Blood clot-dissolving drugs
Drugs that dissolve blood clots, such as tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA), are given to patients who have suffered an ischaemic stroke, and can administered up to 3 hours after the stroke. Patients who receive t-PA have a significantly better chance of functional improvement compared with people who are not given the drug. Patients receiving t-PA do have a slightly higher risk of dying from haemorrhage, but the benefits of the drug are believed to outweigh this risk.

Drugs that prevent further clotting
To prevent the progression of stroke symptoms heparin (a blood-thinning drug) and vitamin K antagonists (warfarin) are often used. Furthermore, people who have experienced an ischaemic stroke are often treated with aspirin which prevents the aggregation of blood platelets.

Rehabilitation
In addition to drug treatments and surgery, rehabilitation is an important part of the treatment of a person who has had a stroke. Stroke affects different parts of the brain in each individual, and so the rehabilitation programme a person follows will very much be specific to their needs. The patient may need physical, speech, language, and occupational therapy. In addition he/she may need counselling and drugs to help treat other illnesses secondary to the stroke, such as depression. Also the support of medical staff, family and friends is important in order to maintain or improve his/her condition.