In 2010 Shore was officially designated as a Primary Stroke Center by the New Jersey State Department of Health and Senior Services, and continues to hold this designation.

As a nationally recognized Primary Stroke Center, Shore follows protocols published by the American Stroke Association/American Heart Association and uses Joint Commission standard treatment orders and clinical pathways. Shore's Neurosciences Center has endorsed these order sets and pathways as the standards of care for our acute stroke patients.

Shore’s Stroke Center also provides education programs for EMS to identify stroke signs and provides 24-hour neurology and neurosurgery physician care. Shore Medical Center Emergency Department staff and physicians are specially trained in the care and treatment of stroke patients and are skilled in administering tPA, the clot busting medication that can improve patient outcomes. It is vitally important that once symptoms are identified, emergency treatment is rendered.

The tPA must be given within four and a half hours of the initial onset of symptoms. People need to treat stroke symptoms as seriously as they would treat heart attack symptoms. Stroke symptoms may vary depending on whether it is an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. Patients are cautioned not to sit down and rest or take a nap thinking the problem will go away. Stroke is a "brain attack" and mandates the same urgency as a heart attack.

Stroke - Women's Health

What Women Need to Know About Stroke

Stroke is the No. 4 leading cause of death in women, and kills more women than men. In fact, 1 in 5 women will have a stroke. More women die from stroke than from breast cancer every year. Women who are African American, Hispanic and Asian/Pacific Islanders have a higher incidence of stroke.  

Stroke Symptoms in Women

• Difficulty speaking, communicating or understanding others
• Difficulty moving the face, arm, or leg on one side of the body
• Decrease or change in sensation on one side of the body
• Vision changes
• Severe headache or dizziness
• Confusion, changes in alertness, difficulty thinking clearly 
• Seizure
• Fatigue and weakness
• Nausea and vomiting

What Increases a Woman’s Risk of Stroke?

• Menopause
• Hormone therapy
• Birth control pills
• Pregnancy-related problems: gestational diabetes and pre-eclampsia
• Immune diseases: lupus, rheumatoid arthritis
• Migraine headaches

Tips for Decreasing Stroke Risk:

• Pre-eclampsia is high blood pressure during pregnancy and is the leading cause of stroke in pregnant women
  • Talk to your healthcare provider to determine the safest blood pressure medication for you during pregnancy
  • Discuss with your healthcare provider the option of taking a low-dose aspirin beginning in the second trimester to lower pre-eclampsia risk
• Get your blood pressure checked before taking birth control pills and monitor blood  pressure every six months. 
• Don’t use hormone replacement therapy to prevent stroke if post-menopausal
• Quit smoking if you have migraines with aura
• Get screened for atrial fibrillation if over 75
• Get lots of rest, eat a healthy diet, be physically active and don’t smoke

When it comes to stroke, time matters. If you notice signs of a stroke, call 9-1-1 immediately. Your quick actions could help prevent brain damage, long-term disability or even death! 

Know the Warning Signs of Stroke

Call 9-1-1 immediately if Stroke symptoms are present:

• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
• Sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding.
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause.

REMEMBER: ACT F.A.S.T.

F = FACE Drooping	Ask the person to smile. Does one side of the face droop or is it numb?
A = ARM Weakness	Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
S = SPEECH Difficulty	Is their speech slurred, are they unable to speak, or are they hard to understand? Ask the person to repeat a simple sentence, like “The sky is blue.”
T = TIME to call 911	If the person shows any of these symptoms, even if the symptoms go away, c call 911 to get them to the hospital immediately.  Note the time of symptom onset

Stroke Facts

• A stroke is a brain attack, cutting off vital blood flow and oxygen to the brain
• In the United States, stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability
• Approximately 795,000 Americans each year suffer a new or recurrent stroke
• Every 40 seconds someone has a stroke
• On an average every four minutes, someone dies from a stroke
• Kills ~128,000 people a year
• Two million brain cells die every minute during a stroke, increasing the risk of permanent brain damage, disability or death. Recognizing symptoms and acting FAST to get medical attention can save a life and limit disabilities
• The prevalence of Transient Ischemic Attacks, or TIA, (commonly known as “mini strokes”) increases with age

Routine evaluation by your Primary Care Physician and following Life’s Simple 7 is key to Stroke Prevention

1. Manage blood pressure
2. Eat Healthier
3. Get Physically active
4. Lose excessive weight
5. Lower Cholesterol
6. Reduce Blood Sugar
7. Do Not Smoke

Stroke Information Guide

Click Guide Below

 

 

If a stroke is suspected, act F.A.S.T and call 911 immediately.