Treatment for stroke is most effective when started immediately. If you, or someone you know, experience the warning signs of a stroke, get to a Presbyterian Hospital in Charlotte, Matthews or Huntersville immediately. Each of our hospitals are Certified Primary Stroke Centers, which means that you'll receive comprehensive stroke care by a team of highly trained specialists.
When you arrive, our stroke team will work together to evaluate you and determine what treatment will be most effective.
Emergency Stroke Treatments
Thrombolytic agents or "clot-busters"
Medications that dissolve clots are called thrombolytic agents and are commonly known as "clot busters." One type of agent used is a tissue plasminogen activator, or t-PA. These drugs have the ability to help reduce the damage to brain cells caused by the stroke. In order to be most effective, these agents must be given within three hours of a stroke symptom onset.
Treatments to control or reduce brain swelling
Corticosteroids and special types of intravenous (IV) fluids are often used to help reduce or control brain swelling, especially after a hemorrhagic stroke (a stroke caused by bleeding into the brain).
Other measures include:
Medications Used to Treat or Prevent Stroke
Medications to help prevent more blood clots from forming
Medications that help to prevent additional blood clots from forming are called anticoagulants, as they prevent the coagulation of the blood.
Medications that reduce the chance of blood clots by preventing platelets (a type of blood cell) from sticking together
Medications to treat existing medical conditions such as diabetes, heart or blood pressure problems
Surgical Procedures to treat Stroke
Merci Retrieval System
This treatment uses a tiny corkscrew to ensnare and remove large vessel occlusions and can potentially expand the timeframe for treatment to eight hours.
Carotid Endarterectomy
Carotid endarterectomy is a procedure used to remove plaque and clots from the carotid arteries located in the neck. These arteries supply the brain with blood from the heart. Endarterectomy may help prevent a stroke from occurring.
Craniotomy
A craniotomy is a type of surgery in the brain itself to remove blood clots or repair bleeding in the brain.
Surgery to repair aneurysms and arteriovenous malformations (AVMs)
An aneurysm is a weakened, ballooned area on an artery wall that has a risk for rupturing and bleeding into the brain. An AVM is a congenital (present at birth) or acquired disorder that consists of a disorderly, tangled web of arteries and veins. An AVM also has a risk for rupturing and bleeding into the brain. Surgery may be helpful, in this case, to help prevent a stroke from occurring.
