Poor Treatment of In-Patient Stroke Victims

It seems that patients who suffer a stroke while in hospital may not be getting optimal treatment across the board. A chart review conducted at the SUNY Upstate Medical Center in Syracuse, NY, examined the care given to over 50 patients who had strokes while in-patients. A third of them failed to receive tPA, the clot-busting medication that must be given within 3 hours of a stroke, although there was no good medical reason for not using the drug. In most of these patients, it took longer than 3 hours before they were referred to the stroke service. In the remainder, there were minor contraindications to the drug in some, but no reason at all could be found for the others.

The need for tPA to be administered within 3 hours of a stroke points up the urgency of early recognition of the symptoms and signs, with a speedy call to 911 if a stroke is suspected:

• Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause

And remember, not all the signs occur in every case.