Stroke Treatment
The most effective stroke treatment is given within the first few hours after a stroke has occurred. If you suspect that a stroke is happening now, go to your nearest emergency room.
Once you are identified by ambulance or emergency personnel as someone who could be having a stroke, doctors will first need to know when your symptoms started. This will set the tone for how care proceeds.
Heparin is an important medication used in hospitals to prevent the formation of blood clots, and the worsening of existing ones. It is used to treat strokes that are caused by identifiable blood clots.
Most strokes are small and cause insignificant brain swelling. However, when the swelling is to a large degree, the brain can be completely deprived of blood.
Swallowing tests can be necessary after a stroke, especially if food keeps going "down the wrong pipe" when you swallow. If this happens, it might be a sign that you are suffering from swallowing dysfunction.
Stroke can lead to severe enough difficulty swallowing to require the temporary or even permanent placement of a feeding tube. But deciding whether or not to allow doctors to place of a feeding tube in a loved one can be an extremely difficult task.
This resource from the National Stroke Association Clinical Trials Resource Center provides information about clinical research on medical therapies for stroke treatment and prevention, and about how you can become a participant.
