• Learn the signs and symptoms of a stroke and what actions to take
• Know how to reduce your risk for having a stroke
• Become familiar with treatment of stroke, including rehabilitation

The 3 R’s of Stroke:
Reduce: stroke risk
Recognize: stroke symptoms
Respond
: at the first sign of stroke,
Call 911 immediately!

• Third leading cause of death in the
United States
• 795,000 Americans suffer strokes each year
• 144,000 deaths each year in U.S.
- From 1995 to 2005, the stroke death rate fell 29.7%
• 6 million stroke survivors in U.S.

• The leading cause of adult disability
– 1/3 severely impaired
– 1/3 moderately impaired
– 1/3 mild or no impairment
• Up to 80% of all strokes are preventable
• Every 45 seconds, someone suffers a stroke
– Someone dies every 3 minutes from a stroke

• Stroke kills more than twice as many
American women every year as breast cancer
• More women than men die from stroke
– Account for > 60% of all stroke deaths
– Women tend to be older at time of stroke
• Women over age 30 who smoke and take high-estrogen oral contraceptives have a stroke risk 22 times higher than average

• Incidence is nearly double that of Caucasians
• African Americans suffer more extensive physical impairments
• Twice as likely to die from stroke
• Disproportionately high incidence of risk factors for stroke
– Hypertension
– Diabetes
– Obesity
– Smoking
– Sickle cell anemia

• President Gerald Ford
• Ed Koch
• Sharon Stone
• Della Reese
• Kirk Douglas
• Roy Horn of Siegfried & Roy
• Mary Kay Ash
• Charles Schultz
• Harry Caray
• Charles Dickens
• Teddy Bruschi
• Ted Williams

• Sudden brain damage
• Lack of blood flow to the brain caused by a clot or rupture of a blood vessel
Ischemic = Clot
(makes up approximately
85% of all strokes)
Embolic Thrombotic
Hemorrhagic = Bleed
- Bleeding around brain
- Bleeding into brain

Blood Supply to the Brain
Many arteries and their branches carry blood to the brain. Each artery supplies specific areas of the brain, but some brain areas are supplied by more than one artery. Lack of blood supply to the brain by a blockage or rupture causes a stroke.

Ischemic Stroke
There are two types of ischemic or clot-caused strokes, thrombotic and embolic. A blood clot that forms within an artery that supplies blood to the brain may lead to a thrombotic stroke. A plaque fragment or blood clot that travels to the brain from the heart or another artery supplying the brain causes an embolic stroke. These types of blockages in the arteries may be due to atherosclerosis or hardening of the arteries caused by cholesterol or plaque build-up.

Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Hemorrhages that are caused by bleeding from blood vessels within the brain are called intracerebral. High blood pressure may cause small blood vessels to bulge and eventually burst spilling blood into the brain. The bleeding damages brain cells and the damaged area cannot function properly.

Aneurysm A weakness in an arterial wall may balloon out, forming a thin-walled bubble on an artery (aneurysm, inset). A rupture in an aneurysm may lead to subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Motor and Sensory Function, side view
The human brain is divided into regions that control various motor
(movement) and sensory functions. Some of these regions are shown in this view of the right side of the brain. The damage from stroke to a specific region may affect the functions it controls, causing symptoms such as paralysis (loss of movement), difficulty speaking, or loss of coordination.

Left Hemisphere
The left side (or hemisphere) of the brain controls the motor and sensory functions of the right side of the body.
Right Hemisphere
The right side of the brain controls the motor and sensory functions of the left side of the body.
Functions of the Cerebral Hemispheres
The right cerebral hemisphere of the brain controls artistic functions, such as music, art awareness, and insight. The left hemisphere is responsible for scientific functions, understanding written and spoken language, number skills, and reasoning.

• Stroke is a “Brain Attack.”
• Stroke happens in the brain not the heart
• Stroke is an emergency.
Call 911 for emergency treatment.

Sudden and severe headache
Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
Sudden dizziness
Trouble walking
Sudden confusion
Trouble speaking
Sudden numbness or weakness of face, arm or leg
If you observe any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately.
Every minute matters!

• F =
Face: ask the person to smile
• A =
Arm: ask the person to raise both arms
• S =
Speech: ask the person to speak a simple sentence
• T =
Time: to call 911
Every minute matters!

Some Reasons People Don’t Seek Immediate
Treatment
• Don’t recognize symptoms
• Denial – don’t want fears confirmed
• Think symptoms will go away – “wait & see”
• Worry about cost
• Think nothing can be done
• Fear of hospitals
*only 40% reach hospital within 24 hours

• Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a warning sign of a future stroke - more than 1/3 of TIA patients will have a future stroke
– 11% will have a stroke within 3 months
• Symptoms of TIAs are the same as stroke
• TIA symptoms can resolve within minutes or hours
• It is important to seek immediate medical attention if you suspect that you are having or have had a TIA

Myth Reality
• Stroke is not preventable
• Stroke cannot be treated
• Up to 80% percent of strokes are preventable
• Stroke requires emergency treatment
• Anyone can have a stroke
• Stroke only strikes the elderly
• Stroke recovery ends after 6 months
• Stroke recovery can last a lifetime

Non-modifiable
• Age
• Gender
• Race
• Family History
• Previous stroke
Modifiable
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Smoking
• Obesity
• Diabetes
• Atrial fibrillation
• Alcohol use

National Stroke Association developed the following guidelines to help people reduce their risk for stroke…

National Stroke Association’s
Stroke Prevention Guidelines
1. Know your blood pressure. Have it checked at least annually. If it is elevated, work with your doctor to control it.
2. Find out if you have atrial fibrillation (AF) – a type of irregular heartbeat. If you have it, work with your doctor to manage it.
3. If you smoke, stop.

National Stroke Association’s
Stroke Prevention Guidelines
(continued)
4. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
5. Know your cholesterol number. If it is high, work with your doctor to control it.
-If Total cholesterol > 200 mg/dl, or
LDL cholesterol is > 100 mg/dl
6. If you are diabetic, follow your doctor’s recommendations carefully to control your diabetes.

National Stroke Association’s
Stroke Prevention Guidelines
(continued)
7. Include exercise in your daily routine
8. Enjoy a lower sodium (salt) and lower fat diet
9. If you have circulation problems, work with your doctor to improve your circulation.
10. If you experience any stroke symptoms, call 911 immediately. Every minute matters!

Ischemic stroke (Brain Clot)
• Clot busting medication: t-PA (Tissue
Plasminogen Activator)
• Clot-removing devices: MERCI Retriever,
Penumbra
Hemorrhagic Stroke (Brain Bleed)
• Clipping, Coiling

• “clot-buster” drug
• Can reduce the effects of stroke and reduce disability
• FDA-approved in 1996
• Must be administered within 3 hours
– “time window” may be expanded to 4.5 hrs
• Only 1.3 to 3% receive it

•FDA approved 2004
•For patients ineligible for or failed tPA
•Mechanical Embolus Remover in
Cerebral Ischemia

•FDA-approved late 2007
•Aspiration and Extraction of large-vessel thromboembolism
•Up to 8 hours after stroke

• Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
• An established medical specialty
• “Physicians of Function”
• Work with other rehab specialists and doctors on complex problems like stroke, brain injury, spinal cord injury

• Weakness
• Swallowing difficulties
• Speech problems
• Language problems
• Loss of Bowel and bladder control
• Loss of sensation or numbness
• Memory / thinking difficulties
• Vision problems
• Muscle tightness

• Daily living skills
• Dressing and grooming
• Diet, nutrition and eating difficulties
• Skin care problems
• Pain
• Sexuality/Intimacy
• Behavior
• Depression & Anger
• Emotional Liability
• One-sided Neglect
• Memory Loss
• Communication Problems

• Prevent / manage complications
• Help patient regain functional independence
–Mobility, ADLs, communication
• Learn techniques to offset or adapt to any physical disabilities
• Evaluate for adaptive equipment

• Educate patient and family
• Reduce caregiver burden
• Maintain long-term function
• Resume family and community life

• Acute hospitalization
• Acute Inpatient Rehabilitation
• Home-health therapy
• Home with outpatient therapy
• Skilled Nursing Facility therapy
• Community-based programs

Interdisciplinary Treatment in Rehabilitation
• Rehab nurses
• Physical
Therapists
• Speech pathologists
• Case Manager
• Social Worker
• Physician
• Occupational
Therapists
• Psychologist
• Recreation
Therapist

Interdisciplinary Treatment in Rehabilitation
• Mobility
• Pain
• Incontinence
• Daily activities
• Swallowing
• Thinking
• Communication
• Emotions

Interdisciplinary Treatment in Rehabilitation
• Rehab team meets twice weekly
• Set functional goals
• Identify strengths and barriers to progress
• Personalize treatment plan

• 10% of survivors recover almost completely
• 25% recover with minor impairments
• 40% experience moderate to severe impairments requiring special care
• 10% require care within either a skilled-care or other long-term care facility
• 15% die shortly after the stroke

• Greatest neurologic recovery during first 3 to 6 months
• slow recovery up to one year
• slower functional recovery continues

• Some brain cells may be only temporarily damaged and may resume functioning
• In some cases, the brain can “relearn” what was lost
• Often a region of the brain “takes over” for a region damaged by the stroke

Stroke is a Brain Attack and is often preventable and treatable
Remember the 3 R’s of Stroke and Act FAST!
– Reduce Risk
– Recognize Stroke Symptoms
– Respond immediately: Call 911
Every minute matters!

1-800-STROKES (787-6537)