Fall 2023 3 Award-winning stroke care Stroke program earns Silver Plus award Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability. In fact, for women in the United States, stroke is the fifth leading cause of death. And 1 in 5 women ages 55 to 75 will have a stroke. But with swift and proper care, the life-altering effects of stroke can often be reversed. “Early recognition and early treatment can give you the best chance at the outcome you hope for,” says Wendi S. Flake, RN, M.S.N., SCRN, Stroke Program Coordinator at Texas Health Huguley. The best possible outcome is a full recovery. That’s also the goal of the award-winning stroke team at Texas Health Huguley. In July, their stroke program earned the American Heart Association’s Get With the Guidelines–Stroke Silver Plus Quality Award. Earning excellence Achieving the Stroke Silver Plus Quality Award reflects the hospital’s commitment to following the latest treatment guidelines for providing excellence in care. To earn the award, Texas Health Huguley’s stroke team demonstrated at least 85% compliance with several best practices for managing stroke patients over a 12-month period. One example is quickly giving medications to dissolve the blood clots that cause most strokes, and a second example is discharging patients with medications to reduce their risk of another stroke. Texas Health Huguley is a primary stroke center The hospital is staffed and equipped to provide lifesaving care when someone is having a stroke. And they help stroke patients recover as well. The most common type of stroke is an ischemic stroke, which happens when a blocked blood vessel disrupts the brain’s blood supply. When this happens, brain cells start to die. This damage can leave a person paralyzed. That’s why the stroke team acts quickly. Within minutes of arriving at Texas Health Huguley, patients with suspected stroke are evaluated via 24/7 teleneurology. A neurologist reviews CT scans to determine if a patient qualifies for a clot-busting drug called tPA—short for tissue plasminogen activator—that helps restore blood flow to the brain. In addition to rapid treatments, people can receive follow-up care, such as physical and speech therapy. “You can get the stroke care you need in your own community,” Wendi says. “That’s why we are here.” T: Time to call 911. If a person has any of these symptoms, call 911 for help and tell them when the symptoms started. S: Speech difficulty. Is speech slurred or otherwise difficult to understand? A: Arm weakness. Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms out to the sides, and take note if one arm drifts downward. F: Face drooping. Is one side of the face drooping or numb? Ask the person to smile—is the smile uneven? F A S T When a stroke strikes, minutes matter To know the signs of stroke, it helps to think F.A.S.T.:
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