Treatment of strokes
A stroke is a medical emergency and if you have one you need to call 999 immediately.
The quicker your stroke is diagnosed and treated, the better your recovery will be.
When you arrive at hospital, you should have a brain scan as soon as possible.
This will help will help your doctors to identify what may have caused your stroke and ensure you get the right emergency treatment.
If your stroke is caused by a blood clot, you may be treated with a clot-busting drug to try to disperse the clot and return the blood supply to your brain.
This is called thrombolysis.
For most people thrombolysis needs to be given within four and a half hours of your stroke symptoms starting.
This is because the more time that passes, the less effective thrombolysis will be.
If you have a haemorrhagic stroke you may need surgery to stop the bleeding, remove blood or relieve any pressure that has built up around your brain.
There are a number of other tests that you may receive during your first few days in hospital.
Your doctors will use these tests to try to find out what caused your stroke, or to see what effects it has had. They include:
- blood pressure tests
- an electrocardiogram (ECG)
- blood tests
- swallowing tests
- mobility assessments
- continence assessments
- communication and cognitive assessments
- nutritional status and hydration checks