Acute Ischemic Stroke

An ischemic stroke occurs when an artery supplying blood to an area of the brain becomes blocked by a blood clot. About 80% of all strokes are ischemic strokes. Acute ischemic stroke can be caused by a:

• Small brain vessel occlusion – treatment includes breaking up the clot (thrombolysis) with intravenous t-PA

• Large brain vessel occlusion – treatment includes use of a clot removal (mechanical thrombectomy) device

Interventional neuroradiologists are an integral part of the multidisciplinary stroke team at Hoag. As part of the Code 20 initiative, patients suspected of having an acute stroke are rapidly triaged through the Emergency Room and brought to the CT scanner. Immediately after the scan is performed, a radiologist discusses the results with the patient’s neurologist and ER physician and the need for treatment is quickly determined.

For patients within the first hours of a stroke due to a blood clot in one of the arteries of the brain, interventional neuroradiologists are on stand-by 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and 365 days a year to quickly remove a stroke-causing blood clot with specially designed catheters and devices, thus preventing permanent damage to the brain and disability. As a certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, Hoag is one of Orange County’s few specialized centers for the endovascular treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

Early intervention is vitally important for stroke patients. You can learn to recognize the symptoms of stroke so that your loved one can get the life-saving treatment they need, as quickly as possible.