Stroke

Three Clinical Features To Avoid Misdiagnosis Of TIAs

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 00:25:43 -0600

For mini-strokes, or transient ischemic attacks (TIAs), both overdiagnosis and underdiagnosis can be perilous. Overdiagnosis neglects the real underlying illness. Underdiagnosis leaves a patient at risk of a full-fledged stroke. Both expose patients to erroneous therapies with potential side effects.

And yet, TIAs are difficult to assess because, by definition, the neurological dysfunction that results is so brief. By the time the patient arrives at a doctor's office or an emergency room, the symptoms are often gone.

Do You Know You're Having A Stroke?

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 22:36:17 -0600

A Mayo Clinic study shows a majority of stroke patients don't think they're having a stroke -- and as a result -- delay seeking treatment until their condition worsens.

Researchers studied 400 patients who were diagnosed at Mayo Clinic's emergency department with either acute ischemic stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), a temporary interruption of blood flow to part of the brain.

Specialized Care, Telemedicine Improves Stroke Outcomes

ruzik_tuzik — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 11:51:07 -0600

Stroke patients have significantly better chances of surviving and living independently when they receive specialized stroke care in community hospitals that have telecommunication support from major stroke centers, according to a study in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.

At 12 and 30 months after stroke, patients treated at hospitals with specialized stroke units had a significantly lower rate of “death and dependency” than did patients who received care at hospitals without stroke units. Dependency was defined as
disability or need for institutional care.

Gore-tex Type Device In the Heart May Stop Recurrent Strokes

hareyan — Tue, 18 Nov 2008 11:52:42 -0600

A study is under way at Rush University Medical Center using a small, soft-patch device made of a Gore-tex-type material – often used to make durable outerwear – to close a common hole found in the heart called a patent foramen ovale (PFO) in order to prevent recurrent strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) in adults.

Rush is the only academic medical center in the Chicago area involved in the trial and one of only 50 sites in the U.S. and the world.

Study Calls For New Method Of Stroke Diagnosis

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 02:48:18 -0500

A study conducted by a team of stroke experts from the West Virginia University Health Sciences Center demonstrates that CT (computed tomography) perfusion imaging may dramatically improve stroke diagnosis. The study showed CT perfusion had 100 percent accuracy for detecting the large, devastating type of stroke.

Can Exercise Prevent A Severe Stroke?

ruzik_tuzik — Mon, 27 Oct 2008 07:31:57 -0500

A new study shows that people who are physically active before suffering a stroke may have less severe problems as a result and recover better compared to those who did not exercise before having a stroke.

Researchers reviewed the medical records of 265 people with an average age of 68 who had a stroke and were able to walk on their own. Other stroke risk factors and other diseases and conditions that might interfere with their ability to exercise were considered.

African-Americans At Higher Risk Of Stroke-Causing Brain Lesions

ruzik_tuzik — Fri, 17 Oct 2008 05:34:42 -0500

African-Americans May Be at Higher Risk of Stroke-Causing Brain Lesions ST. PAUL, Minn. – Cerebral microbleeds, which are small bleeds within the brain, appear to be more common in African-Americans than in Caucasians, increasing the likelihood of having a stroke.

Findings Of Major New Stroke Study Are Good News

ruzik_tuzik — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 04:06:08 -0500

A study published in issue of the New England Journal of Medicine shows that doctors may have an additional 90 minutes to successfully administer clot-busting drugs to patients who suffer the most common type of stroke - an ischemic stroke - which is caused by a blood clot or other blockage within an artery leading to the brain.

Current treatment standards allow doctors to use clot-busters intravenously up to three hours after stroke symptoms begin. The new findings indicate that the drugs can reduce or eliminate effects of a stroke for as long as four and a half hours after onset.

American Indians Have Higher Stroke Rate

ruzik_tuzik — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 11:24:37 -0500

American Indians have a higher rate of stroke than other groups, which in large part can be attributed to a high prevalence of diabetes, according to a study to be published next week in the journal Circulation, Tulsa World reports. For the study, lead researcher Ying Zhang of the Oklahoma University College of Public Health and 13 other researchers from across the nation analyzed data from 1989 to 2004 on 4,549 middle-age and older American Indians. According to Tulsa World, the report is the first to detail stroke prevalence and risk factors for American Indians.

Stroke Incidence May Be Higher, Deadlier In American Indians

ruzik_tuzik — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 09:40:17 -0500

American Indians have a higher incidence of stroke compared to white and black Americans and their first strokes may be more deadly, according to a study published in Circulation: Journal of the American Heart Association.