Stroke Rehabilitation

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• QWhich stroke patients need rehabilitation?

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  A Univ. of Nev. School of Medicine, Family Medicine answered

  The need for rehabilitation after a stroke depends on the location and size of damage to the brain. Symptoms after a stroke can involve virtually any part of the body and can range from mild to severe. Early therapy directed at correcting deficits caused by a stroke gives stroke patients the best chance of regaining normal function.

• QHow can stroke outcomes be improved?

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  A SCAI answered

  Over the past 30 years, improvements in the treatment of heart attack have dramatically reduced the number of deaths and disabilities caused by heart attack, which occurs when blood flow to the heart muscle is blocked.

  Now, new treatments are available that may also revolutionize stroke care.

  The medical community is taking aim at improving the outcomes for stroke, currently the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disabilities in the United States.

  Stroke outcomes can be improved if:

  Americans become much more aware of the warning signs of stroke - and of the urgent need for medical help if they experience one or more of them;Emergency medical and hospital admissions systems are established to ensure that anyone with stroke symptoms is taken to a stroke center and treated as soon as possible;More physicians are trained in interventional procedures to treat stroke. In interventional procedures, a physician inserts a catheter (a thin tube) into an artery in the leg, arm or neck and guides it through the blood vessels to the site in the brain that is narrowed or blocked. He or she then delivers devices or other therapies through the catheter to open the blocked vessel and restore blood flow. More cardiologists are trained in neuro-rescue procedures that allow physicians to remove clots from the brain using interventional techniques and newly clot-retrieval devices. Attached to a tiny wire, the device is inserted via a catheter through a very small cut in the femoral artery in the groin, or upper thigh, and advanced to the carotid artery in the neck. (The carotid arteries supply the brain with blood and a stroke can result when the arteries are blocked.) The wire is threaded through the clot. When the device is deployed, its coiled wire forms a “basket” around the clot, allowing the physician to pull the whole clot from the body and restore blood flow to the brain.

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• QWhat is stroke rehabilitation?

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  A HealthyWomen answered

  Depending on a person's needs after a stroke, rehabilitation can take place in an acute care and rehabilitation hospital, in a long-term care facility, at home (with assistance provided through a home health agency) and/or at an outpatient facility. Talk to your doctor about the best approach for your situation, and look for a care facility that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).

  The most effective rehabilitation programs involve a multidisciplinary approach: physical therapy, occupational therapy and speech therapy, along with optimal medical care, in a calming environment and coordinated by a doctor with expertise in neurorehabilitation.

  The ultimate goal is for individuals who have suffered a stroke to achieve the greatest degree of independence in the least restrictive environment possible. Time will be spent developing self-care skills such as feeding, grooming, bathing and dressing; mobility skills including walking or self-propelling a wheelchair; speech and language skills; memory or problem-solving skills and skills necessary for social interaction.

• QWhen can I go home from the hospital after I've had a stroke?

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  A Reston Hospital Center answered

  Patients generally stay in the hospital for two to three days after a stroke.