Stroke

Chesapeake Regional Medical Center has a specialized stroke team. If a patient comes into the Emergency Room, within 5 minutes they will have been examined by our stroke team. Our physicians and nurses have specialized stroke training and are experts in diagnostic testing and rapid treatment.

The process when a 911 call is received.

• The EMS crews arrive, check vitals and assess stoke symptoms
• The decision to transport the patient is made
• CRMC’s Emergency Department (ED) is alerted
• CRMC’s on-call stroke team is alerted
• The patient arrives in the ED and is assessed immediately by a physician
• The patient undergoes a CT scan or other diagnostic testing to determine what stroke type
• Treatments from IV medication to surgery are offered on-site by qualified neurologists, neurointerventionalists, and neurosurgeons.

The gold standard treatment for ischemic strokes is tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and mechanical thrombectomy. tPA works by dissolving the clot and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood flow. If there is a large clot blocking a vessel to the brain, our neurovascular team can place a catheter inside the brain vessels, and remove the clot with an aspiration device and stent-triever.

Stroke Survivors & Care Partner Support Group

The mission of the support group is to empower stroke survivors, their family and friends, to become “stroke wise” and to develop self-care strategies that will increase functional quality. This group will promote healthy coping skills to live with the effects of stroke, while providing a safe, warm and caring environment which facilitates listening, learning and sharing. Monthly meetings are held the second Monday of every month, from 2 - 3:30pm in the Lifestyle Center.

For more information, call 757-312-6584.