Rapid, life-saving treatment for stroke

When a stroke occurs, every second counts. Advocate Health Care delivers immediate care to patients experiencing acute strokes – when the treatment window is limited. Our highly trained specialists use the latest imaging technologies, artificial intelligence (AI) software, and breakthrough, minimally invasive treatments to improve patient outcomes and reduce long-term deficits.

Following a stroke, our rehabilitation experts go to work, helping you progress on the road to recovery. We work to preserve your life and your quality of life.

What sets us apart:

• Innovative technology: AI enables us to start coordinating treatment as soon as a blockage is identified – even before the brain scan finishes.
• Multidisciplinary team: Neurologists, neurosurgeons, interventional radiologists, nurses, and specialists in physical, occupational, speech and swallowing therapy work together.
• Superior experience: Treating highest number of people having strokes in Illinois leads to exceptional skills and expertise.
• Easy access to care: Locations across Chicago and the suburbs mean expert care is close to home.

Symptoms of strokes

It’s vital to know what a stroke looks like. If you or a loved one has any of the stroke symptoms below, call 911 and seek immediate medical attention. Every second counts to preserve brain functions.

To remember the symptoms of a stroke, remember to B.E. F.A.S.T.:

B = Balance Does the person have sudden loss of balance or coordination?
E = Eyes Is their vision blurred? Do they have double vision or sudden trouble seeing out of one or both eyes?
F = Face Can they smile? Does one side of their face sag or droop?
A = Arms Can they raise both arms? Or does one arm drift downward?
S = Speech Is their speech slurred or strange-sounding? Can they repeat a single sentence? Can they understand what you’re saying to them?
T = Terrible headache and time to call 911 Sudden onset of a terrible headache or “the worst headache of their life”

Problems with balance, sight, facial muscles, arms and speech all arise from involuntary or abnormal muscle function (dyskinesia) caused by the stroke.

Types of stroke – hemorrhagic, ischemic & more

According to the American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the U.S. and it’s a leading cause of disability.

All types of stroke are dangerous and can lead to death. The two main types have different causes are and treated in almost opposite ways. One main type needs treatment to make your blood clot and the other needs treatment to break up blood clots. Our doctors will run tests to determine what type you have in order to treat you correctly while it’s happening and afterward.

Types of stroke:

• Ischemic stroke happens when an artery to the brain becomes blocked. It’s the most common type of stroke.
  • Thrombotic stroke happens when the blood clot forms in an artery in the brain and blocks the flow of blood.
  • Embolic stroke happens when the blood clot forms elsewhere in the body, travels to the brain and blocks the flow of blood.
• Hemorrhagic stroke happens when a blood vessel starts to leak or bursts, causing bleeding in and around the brain.
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA) is a “mini-stroke” or temporary blockage of blood to the brain.
• Stroke with unknown cause (cryptogenic). Even if we can’t find the exact cause of your stroke right away, we’ll work to determine if it’s because of a blockage or because of bleeding so we can provide the right treatment promptly.

Expert diagnosis

Our stroke treatment team uses sophisticated imaging, communication and AI technologies to help diagnose stroke as quickly as possible, so you can receive prompt and effective treatment.

Advanced detection options

• Computed tomography (CT) scans: Provide cross-sectional views of the inside of your body using advanced X-ray technology.
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI): Produces very clear pictures of the inside of your body using a magnetic field and radio waves. MRIs often eliminate the need for biopsy or surgery, and since no X-rays are used, there is no exposure to radiation.
• Echocardiography: Creates a two-dimensional picture of your cardiovascular system and can also produce an accurate assessment of the velocity of blood and cardiac tissue at any arbitrary point using pulsed or continuous wave Doppler ultrasound.

• Angiography: Determines whether blood flow within your body is normal using X-rays. Injected dye is used to make blood vessels visible on the images.

Additional diagnostic testing

Our specialists may also perform other diagnostic tests, if they think a stroke has already occurred.

• Carotid ultrasound: This produces pictures of the insides of carotid arteries using high-frequency sound waves. Carotid arteries supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain, face, scalp and neck.

• In-office risk factor assessments: These tests determine the cause of a stroke. They may include an evaluation of blood pressure, a fasting cholesterol blood test and a glycohemoglobin (HbA1C) assessment, which measures the amount of sugar in hemoglobin.

Comprehensive treatment

Advocate offers a range of stroke treatments, from clot-busting agents to surgical removal of blood clots to the latest in minimally invasive procedures. Following guidelines of the American Heart Association and American Stroke AssociationTM, our streamlined stroke and post-stroke continuum of care can minimize the impact of stroke and offer you the best chance for recovery.

Treatment options for stroke

• Carotid endarterectomy: Through surgery, doctors remove fatty deposits from a carotid artery to help prevent a stroke.
• Tissue plasminogen activator: This is injected into the bloodstream to break up a clot until blood can flow past it. This treatment is used only for ischemic strokes.
• Thrombolysis: In this procedure, a catheter is threaded through the femoral artery to the site of a clot. Then, a clot-busting drug is administered directly to the clot.
• Embolectomy: This treatment employs a catheter threaded through the groin and to the site of a clot. Wire coils are sent through the catheter and into the clot, grabbing it so it can be removed.
• Thrombectomy: This minimally invasive treatment for stroke involves a specially trained physician guiding a catheter up through an artery in the leg and into the brain. Once in the brain, a blood clot can be removed using a special device. This restores blood flow to the brain, which is critical following a stroke.
• Angioplasty and stenting: A balloon is inserted into a clogged artery and inflated to widen the space inside. Then a stent (an expandable tube) is placed in the space to keep the artery propped open.
• Cerebral bypass surgery (ECA/MCA/STA bypass surgery): Your doctor will find a healthy blood vessel from another part of your body and carefully remove part of it. Then they’ll use the piece of blood vessel to bypass the clogged artery so blood can get to your brain.

Risk factors of stroke you can’t control include:

• Age: The risk of having a stroke doubles every 10 years after age 55.
• Gender: Men are less likely to have strokes than women and women are more likely to die because of a stroke.
• Personal or family history of stroke: Genetic factors may increase your risk of stroke.
• Personal history of heart attack
• Race: Black people are twice as likely to have a stroke as White people. Native Americans and Hispanics are also more likely to have a stroke than White people.

Your doctor may recommend medications to help reduce your risk of a stroke. If you’ve had an ischemic stroke, they may prescribe blood thinners to lower the blood’s ability to form clots. If you’ve had a hemorrhagic stroke, they may prescribe medication to reduce your blood pressure.

Another option for some people is a device that filters blood clots from the left side of the heart. This will lower the risk that any clots will travel to the brain and cause a stroke.

Our stroke centers

Advocate Health Care has more stroke centers than any other system in Illinois. They include:

Comprehensive Stroke Centers (highest level of certification)

• Advocate Christ Medical Center – Oak Lawn
• Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center – Chicago
• Advocate Lutheran General Hospital – Park Ridge

Primary Stroke Centers (second highest level of certification)

• Advocate Condell Medical Center – Libertyville
• Advocate Good Samaritan Hospital – Downers Grove
• Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital – Barrington
• Advocate Sherman Hospital – Elgin
• Advocate South Suburban Hospital – Hazel Crest
• Advocate Trinity Hospital – Chicago