Nuvance Health’s Danbury Hospital and Norwalk Hospital have each achieved a Get With The Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus Award, Stroke Elite Honor Roll and Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. The awards reflect each hospital’s commitment to providing stroke patients with lifesaving care by following nationally recognized, evidence-based guidelines.

Stroke is a leading cause of death in the United States and a major cause of serious disability for adults. Rapid and accurate diagnosis and treatment of stroke are critical because time is brain when it comes to this medical emergency.

Communities in Fairfield and Westchester Counties can count on Nuvance Health’s hospitals to continue advancing stroke care for them. Danbury Hospital and Norwalk Hospital have highly trained multispecialty care teams who know how to quickly identify and treat stroke to minimize someone’s risk of permanent disability or death.

Emergency medical services (EMS), emergency medicine, radiology, neurology and neurosurgery, critical and intensive care and neuro-rehabilitation specialists follow proven stroke care guidelines and use the latest technology.

For example, Danbury Hospital and Norwalk Hospital both have Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center Certification from the Joint Commission for endovascular treatment and management of ischemic stroke. 

Endovascular neurosurgeons use a biplane angiography system to treat ischemic stroke with a mechanical thrombectomy procedure. An ischemic stroke happens when a blood clot blocks the oxygen-rich blood supply to the brain. During a mechanical thrombectomy, an endovascular neurosurgeon uses x-ray guidance to lead a catheter through an artery in the groin or wrist, up the aorta and into the brain to remove the clot and restore blood flow.

Stroke care teams also provide education and resources for patients so they can effectively manage their recovery. They also offer resources for caregivers to support their loved ones after having a stroke. Nuvance Health is grateful to its community partners for collaborating on and supporting stroke education.

When it comes to stroke, remember B.E.F.A.S.T.:

  • B – Balance: Loss of balance or coordination, dizziness
  • E – Eyes: Trouble seeing out of one or both eyes
  • F – Face: Facial weakness, uneven smile
  • A – Arm: Unable to lift both arms evenly, numbness, weakness
  • S – Speech: Difficulty speaking, slurred speech
  • T – Time: Call 9-1-1

Watch this video to learn more about B.E.F.A.S.T.

Call 9-1-1 immediately if you are experiencing stroke symptoms. Do not drive yourself to the Emergency Department. EMS will start a stroke evaluation before getting to the hospital, and bring you to a hospital with a stroke center — giving you an opportunity for the best possible outcome.

Learn more about stroke services at the Nuvance Health Neuroscience Institute.