Abstract
Stroke is the first cause of disability and the fifth cause of mortality in the United States. In this chapter we discuss the general principles of medical stroke care. The initial goal of the evaluation is to stabilize and assess patient’s eligibility for acute interventions including intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV-tPA) and mechanical thrombectomy. That includes a focused history, a standardized examination using National Institute of Health Stroke Scale, and appropriate neuroimaging to rule out intracranial hemorrhage. Once the decision regarding IV-tPA is made, patients should be promptly evaluated for the possibility of a proximal vessel occlusion requiring mechanical thrombectomy. Following any acute interventions, patients should be admitted to a dedicated stroke unit specialized in preventing and monitoring complications. That unit should have the expertise and resources to conduct the necessary investigations to establish the stroke mechanism or subtype in order to implement the most appropriate secondary prevention strategy.
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Shaban, A., Leira, E.C. (2019). Best Medical Management for Acute Ischemic Stroke. In: Samaniego, E., Hasan, D. (eds) Acute Stroke Management in the Era of Thrombectomy. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17535-1_1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-17535-1_1
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