Do not ignore the signs and symptoms of stroke

May is Stroke Awareness Month - a meaningful time for HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and Prevea Health to remind everyone of the importance of recognizing the signs and symptoms of stroke.

According to the American Heart Association’s latest research, someone in the United States dies from stroke every 3 minutes and 11 seconds – accounting for approximately 1 out of every 20 deaths in 2022. However, recognizing the signs and symptoms of stroke and identifying stroke early have been proven to reduce the risk of long-term brain damage, permanent disability, and even death.

A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by either a clot (ischemic stroke) or a break in a blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Dr. Alison Meyer, Prevea neurointerventional surgeon who provides stroke care at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay – a certified, Comprehensive Stroke Center – emphasizes that seeking immediate medical attention for a stroke is critical. Dr. Meyer notes that every minute the brain is without blood flow, the risk for harm to the body and brain increases greatly. The onset of any of the following symptoms requires immediate attention, starting with a call to 911. Remember the phrase/acronym BE FAST:

        B – Balance difficulty: Sudden loss of balance or coordination, weakness or dizziness

        E – Eye changes: Sudden onset of vision changes in one or both eyes

        F – Face drooping: Sudden onset of facial drooping, usually on one side

        A – Arm weakness: Sudden weakness or numbness in the arm, leg or face, usually on one side of the body

        S – Speech difficulty: Sudden onset of trouble speaking or difficulty in understanding speech

        T – Terrible headache: Sudden onset on severe headache with no known cause

“All too often a person is unaware that they are having a stroke. That’s why it’s so important that everyone can recognize the signs and symptoms, so they can react immediately for others who appear to be having a stroke,” says Dr. Meyer. “The sooner a patient can be brought to a hospital for a stroke, the better chance they have of a successful recovery with less impacts to their health.”

When a stroke strikes, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and Prevea Health are ready. In the Green Bay region, no other health system offers the range of stroke care services HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and Prevea Health provides. The range of specialized stroke care offerings means patients who suffered from a stroke not only get the immediate urgent care they deserve, but also that HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and Prevea’s teams are equipped to walk patients through the process of recovery, following a stroke.

·         For those suffering from stroke, at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital’s Comprehensive Stroke Center, intravenous medication can be used in some instances to treat stroke, while others require an interventional, surgical procedure. Dr. Meyer and her dedicated stroke team often perform these procedures, including thrombectomy to remove blood clots blocking vessels in the brain and using Bi Plane Angiography technology for 3-D, high-resolution images of the patient's arteries and vessels in multiple dimensions. This advanced imaging allows the team to precisely navigate and place devices that perform thrombectomy, quickly extracting blood clots while continuously monitoring the patient. The real-time visualization provided by biplane imaging assists Dr. Meyer and her team in performing thrombectomies with exceptional accuracy, efficiency, and promptness - ultimately improving patient outcomes by rapidly restoring blood flow to the brain. Only two other health care systems in all of Wisconsin perform as many lifesaving thrombectomy procedures as the team at HSHS St. Vincent Hospital and Prevea – a clear sign of the expertise and dedication this committed stroke care team possesses.

·         For those diagnosed with a vascular condition that causes complete or partial blockage of the arteries, such as carotid artery disease (CAD) or peripheral artery disease (PAD), surgical preventive treatment may be an option. Consult with your primary care physician or a Prevea vascular specialist to learn more.

·         For survivors of stroke, HSHS St. Vincent Hospital has a free Stroke Support Group, which meets on a monthly basis. For more information about the Stroke Support Group and to register for meetings, please visit: www.hshs.org/st-vincent/classes-events/stroke-support-group

For more information about stroke care, please visit: www.prevea.com/stroke

About HSHS St. Vincent Hospital
HSHS St. Vincent Hospital is part of Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS), a Catholic health care ministry founded in 1875. Dedicated to our Mission to reveal and embody Christ’s healing love for all people through high-quality Franciscan health care, HSHS clinicians provide exceptional care centered on the whole person. Based in Springfield, Illinois, HSHS employs nearly 11,000 colleagues who provide care in 13 acute-care, children’s and critical-access hospitals and home health and hospice programs in Central and Southern Illinois and Eastern Wisconsin. HSHS is aligned with more than 1,000 primary and specialty physicians and advanced practitioners through its owned affiliates HSHS Medical Group and Prairie Cardiovascular and its partnership with Prevea Health. For more information about HSHS, visit hshs.org.

About Prevea Health 

Prevea Health is a community of passionate and accomplished physicians, caregivers and staff working together to provide exceptional health care. Patients have trusted Prevea with their medical care needs since 1996 when the organization was founded in Green Bay, Wis. Today, Prevea provides primary care and a wide range of specialty medical care in clinic, hospital, and workplace settings across Northeast Wisconsin. It is partnered with Hospital Sisters Health System (HSHS) which operates hospitals in Wisconsin. For more information about Prevea Health, visit www.prevea.com