Advertisement
The short answer from a cerebrovascular expert
A: While driving a stroke patient to the hospital may initially seem like the best choice, calling 911 for an ambulance is the fastest way to get life-saving treatment to a stroke patient.
Advertisement
Cleveland Clinic is a non-profit academic medical center. Advertising on our site helps support our mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic products or services. Policy
A stroke is a medical emergency, and time is of the essence. The more time that passes between the stroke and treatment, the greater the risk of brain damage, and the harder it becomes to reverse symptoms. Early treatment with medications and other interventions can preserve brain tissue and prevent long-term disability and/or death.
The 911 operators know which hospitals are designated as stroke centers and can best provide care. Interventions can begin en route in the ambulance or the mobile stroke treatment unit.
Mobile stroke treatment units are essentially intensive care units on wheels. The unit’s team, guided by a stroke specialist back at the hospital, can examine and perform blood tests as well as CT scans on the patient. If indicated, they can start clot-busting drugs. This process saves precious time compared with driving to the hospital.
If you notice the signs of stroke in someone nearby, call 911 immediately to give them the best chance for long-term recovery.
In the meantime, if the person seems weak, encourage them to sit or lie down so that they don’t fall, and avoid giving them aspirin or water. Aspirin increases the risk of bleeding if the stroke was caused by a hemorrhage and water poses a choking hazard.
Advertisement
—Cerebrovascular specialist Zeshaun Khawaja, MD, MBA
Advertisement
Learn more about our editorial process.
Advertisement
Artificial intelligence and machine learning are being integrated into chatbots, patient rooms, diagnostic testing, research studies and more — all to improve innovation, discovery and patient care
Healthy habits and a comfortable daily routine may make your TD symptoms more manageable
A variety of healthy foods can help reduce inflammation and keep other conditions at bay
Some ‘flare-ups’ are temporary and expected, others can signal a need to change therapies
Our collective misremembering of events comes from a surplus of false memories
Most routine vaccines are safe for people living with multiple sclerosis — but be sure to talk with your care team about your needs
This alternative brain-body therapy focuses on unlocking pent-up feelings, memories and tension that may be stuck in your brain and body
Current research suggests 1 out of every 36 children in the U.S. has ASD — and that’s probably an undercount
Focus on your body’s metabolic set point by eating healthy foods, making exercise a part of your routine and reducing stress
PFAS chemicals may make life easier — but they aren’t always so easy on the human body
While there’s little risk in trying this hair care treatment, there isn’t much science to back up the claims