Stroke Care

Stroke Care at Mount Auburn Hospital

Time is of the essence when it comes to treating a stroke. The more time passes, the more brain cells die.

If you or someone you love arrives at Mount Auburn Hospital for Emergency Care, our experts will quickly evaluate your condition and help you get the stroke treatment that’s best for you. We coordinate care with Neurology specialists if needed. And you can count on our experts in stroke Rehabilitation to guide you along your journey toward recovery.

What is a Stroke?

Stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. It can also occur if a vessel in the brain bursts, causing bleeding inside the head. There are various types of stroke, including:

• Ischemic stroke occurs when a blood vessel that supplies blood to the brain is blocked by a blood clot.
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA), or ministroke, occurs when blood flow to the brain is temporarily blocked. The clot usually dissolves on its own after a few minutes. It is often a warning sign — about one in every three people who have a TIA will eventually have a stroke.
• Hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel leaks or bursts open and bleeding can occur in the brain or around it.

Signs of a Stroke

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), signs of a stroke include these symptoms occurring suddenly:

• Numbness or weakness in the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
• Confusion, trouble speaking or difficulty understanding speech
• Trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or lack of coordination
• Severe headache with no known cause

If you think someone is having a stroke, it’s important to act F.A.S.T.

• Face — Does one side of the face droop?
• Arms — Does one arm drift downward?
• Speech — Is speech slurred or strange?
• Time — Call 911 right away if you see any of these signs.

If you or someone you know suddenly experiences stroke symptoms, call 911 as soon as possible, and note the time the symptoms began.

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Award-Winning Stroke Care

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health designates Mount Auburn Hospital as a Primary Stroke Service site. Our stroke team uses state-of-the-art diagnostic and treatment techniques to provide emergency care. We provide dedicated, individual care to maximize your recovery process.

Mount Auburn Hospital’s award-winning Stroke Service team provides rapid response to stroke patients. Our Stroke Service ensures that clinical staff receives ongoing professional education, which is paid forward through community education events held throughout the year. The goals are to raise public awareness of risk factors, prevention, warning signs and the need for emergency care.

We are proud to achieve recognition by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association for following the latest research-based standards for stroke with a Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Award. We also have earned these achievement awards:

• Target: Stroke Honor Roll-Elite — To earn this recognition, Mount Auburn Hospital meets specific criteria that reduces the time between an eligible patient’s arrival at the hospital and treatment with the clot-buster alteplase.
• Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll — To earn this award, Mount Auburn Hospital ensures patients with Type 2 diabetes, who might be at higher risk for complications, receive the most up-to-date, evidence-based care when hospitalized due to a stroke.

Find out more about Mount Auburn Hospital's Stroke Service, call Marie McCune, RN, at 617-497-6090.