Stroke is a cerebrovascular accident caused by rupture or blockage of blood vessels. Typically, the cause of this pathology is the long-term course of the following diseases: arterial hypertension, vasculitis, atrial fibrillation, atherosclerosis or venous insufficiency. If you detect the first signs of a stroke, you should immediately call an ambulance, since it is the timeliness of medical care that determines how severe the consequences will be and whether the patient will be able to return to their usual lifestyle.
If a patient has a stroke, a highly qualified and experienced doctor will be able to return him to a full life. Highly qualified doctors work at the Yusupov Hospital in the neurology and rehabilitation clinic. Acute disruption of cerebral blood supply is the second cause of mortality after heart disease. In more than half of cases, a stroke leads to disability. Doctors at the Yusupov Hospital have been treating patients who have suffered a stroke for a long time.
The hospital is equipped with modern equipment, all the specialists are of a high level, and good care for patients contributes to their rapid recovery. Although a long period of rehabilitation takes a lot of time, under the guidance of our specialists the quality of life of the patient and his family significantly improves. At the Yusupov Hospital you can undergo diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation after a stroke.
Causes and symptoms of stroke
A stroke occurs when there is a problem with the blood supply to the brain or damage to an artery in the head. The causes of this disorder include: excess weight, blood clots in the arteries, atherosclerotic plaques, embolism, weakened vessel walls, aneurysm, hypertension, and trauma.
Symptoms include: numbness in the muscles of the face and limbs, problems with speech function, poor vision, dizziness, poor coordination of movements, worsening headaches, worsening heartbeat, increased blood pressure, and the face turns red.
Which doctor treats stroke: information for your reference
To determine which doctor treats stroke, you need to determine how the condition differs. The disease refers to a neurological disorder in which, in acute form, problems arise with the blood supply to the head. This condition implies a danger to human existence. Therefore, with minimal symptoms, it is necessary to contact an ambulance to resolve the problem.
What specialists do they contact?
There are 2 main types of stroke: ischemic and hemorrhagic. The first one needs to be detected on time, since the disease does not develop as sharply as the second type. Clinical manifestations in the ischemic form arise gradually, due to this, there is the possibility of death . Therefore, you need to promptly seek qualified help from a specialist.
Symptoms of ischemic stroke for which doctors advise going for examination: severe headache, fainting, dizziness, pain in the heart area, problems with gait, trembling arms and legs, problems with pronunciation.
Hemorrhagic disorder develops quickly, is complex, and causes death. Doctors determine the onset of an attack with complex physical overload or sudden stressful situations. Let's list the main signs: redness on the skin and a feeling of heat due to the flow of blood, a sudden headache, vomiting, visual acuity deteriorates, stupor, and loss of consciousness.
Hemorrhagic stroke occurs suddenly. It can be difficult for the victim to understand what happened to him. Therefore, you need to immediately contact an ambulance and provide assistance to the victim.
In case of ischemic disorder, you need to visit your local physician. After this, the patient is referred to a neurologist and cardiologist. These specialized specialists provide diagnosis and treatment for strokes. A vascular surgeon performs surgery if necessary.
After the patient goes to the hospital, he is admitted for examination by a neurologist. The resuscitator takes part in the provision of care if the patient is taken to a medical facility by an ambulance. After therapy or surgery, the patient is left in the clinical department for recovery. If complications are identified, specialists in another specialty may work.
After recovery in the hospital, the patient undergoes rehabilitation procedures determined by the treating specialist. These are exercises, physiotherapy, traditional medicine, etc. A physiotherapist, nutritionist, and rehabilitation specialist are responsible for these questions.
Before the ambulance arrives
Emergency assistance should be provided within a maximum of 4 hours from the onset of the attack. When calling emergency services, describe your symptoms accurately so that a specialized neurological team can attend. While waiting for the service to arrive, it is necessary to lay the patient down, raising his head 30 degrees above his body, loosen any compressive clothing, and open a window or vent. Measure your blood pressure. If it is high, give the person a medicine to lower the pressure and/or apply a heating pad or hot water bottle to the feet. In case of nausea and vomiting, place the patient on the right side. Check with the ambulance team whether the hospital where the patient is being hospitalized is equipped with equipment for magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography.
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Principle of therapy
Therapy is carried out after confirmation of the ischemic or hemorrhagic form of the disorder through detailed diagnosis. The specialist prescribes the necessary procedures. If a patient is admitted to a medical facility with serious problems, resuscitation procedures are carried out quickly.
To treat a stroke you will need the following procedures:
- Ventilation or breathing support.
- Medicines that stabilize the heart.
- Preventing swelling and compression of the brain.
- Metabolic balance is maintained.
- The ICP level decreases.
- Cramps are relieved.
- Blood pressure is corrected.
- Blood glucose levels stabilize.
- Natural body temperature is maintained.
- The infection is being treated.
- Thins the blood to prevent blood clots.
During a stroke, a specialist needs to stay near the doctor and record various changes in his well-being. Once the blood circulation in the head has stabilized, the patient can be transferred to neurology for rehabilitation. The first few weeks after a stroke, patients require regular monitoring . The specialist should not allow relapses of the disease.
Help in the acute period
Which doctors are needed in the treatment of stroke depends on the period of the disease, but in any case, they must be experienced, highly qualified specialists who know how to properly provide assistance in this situation.
When diagnosing an ischemic stroke in a patient, the doctor’s goal is to restore blood supply with subsequent rehabilitation. This may require blood thinning medications or mechanical removal of the clot using a catheter. To remove atherosclerotic plaques, endarterectomy is performed, and to increase the diameter of blood vessels, plastic surgery with stenting is performed.
In the case of a hemorrhagic stroke, it is necessary to stop the bleeding, reduce intracranial pressure, and in the case of compression of the brain, it must be removed surgically.
Surgical intervention
The essence of this technique comes down to drug lysis of the resulting blood clot and a probable improvement in blood flow in the damaged areas of the vessels. In case of hemorrhage, the specialist advises to carry out surgical intervention as quickly as possible to remove the hemorrhage and hematoma.
If the patient’s condition improves in the hospital, it will be possible to prescribe therapy aimed at improving blood flow in the damaged parts of the nervous system and preventing recurrent attacks. For this purpose, medications are prescribed that are responsible for normal nutrition and rehabilitation after damaged brain functions. Other types of drugs are prescribed: antispasmodics, vasotonics, decongestants, cardiac drugs.
After completing all courses, doctors extend the period of treatment with antispasmodics to restore normal body functions.
FAN Help
World Stroke Day was established in 2006. The purpose of this initiative was to call on all countries to take urgent and proactive action in the fight against this disease.
Today, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases remain one of the main causes of death and disability throughout the world, including in Russia. At the same time, in our country the mortality rate from stroke is one of the highest in the world.
According to WHO, 6.7 million people die from stroke every year in the world, and, as experts note, about a third of deaths occur in people of working age 30–40 years.
Rehabilitation period
Regardless of the age category of stroke patients, the duration of the rehabilitation period will be long. A specialist who helps patients after hemorrhage will select appropriate procedures that allow the patient to improve motor functions.
You can resume speech with the support of a speech therapist who corrects pronunciation defects.
Patients will undergo several exercises aimed at stabilizing fine motor skills. This ability of the body requires restoration, regardless of age category. In stationary conditions, a specialist provides an exercise stand, constructed from a damaged board, visually resembling a wall with several switches, rivets, and locks.
For patients who have suffered a stroke, manipulation of these devices will be more difficult, but it will be possible to resume the necessary skills if you practice regularly. The specialist helps the patient choose the appropriate device to make it easier for him to move. This could be: crutches, walkers, chair.
Physiotherapy or kinetotherapy helps relax muscles, relieve spasms, strengthen and resume basic movements. Technological innovations are also helping to cope with the consequences of hemorrhage. These include: virtual reality devices, robotics, modern psychotherapeutic techniques.
Regardless of which procedure the specialist chooses, it must be followed regularly until the patient improves his health. Sometimes the patient and his relatives have difficulties with this; the future of the patient will depend on such actions. Relatives and other people from the immediate environment help treat pathology and its consequences.
List of doctors involved in rehabilitation after stroke
A rehabilitation plan for patients who have suffered a stroke is drawn up by a rehabilitation physician with extensive experience and qualifications. He will select the optimal set of measures that will give a positive result.
Most often, a patient after a stroke develops motor dysfunction. A physiotherapist is involved in their restoration, selecting optimal techniques for developing certain muscles. A physiotherapist can prescribe mesotherapy, electrotherapy, reflexology and other procedures. Often, a massage therapist works together with a physiotherapist, since massage helps prevent muscle atrophy, strengthen joints and the spine, improve the nutrition of soft tissues and prevent bedsores.
In case of speech disorders, a speech therapist works with the patient. In his practice, he uses classical techniques that can eliminate speech problems.
During the rehabilitation period, the patient attends physical therapy classes. A physical therapy doctor or an instructor with a special education helps the patient develop muscles using both a group of exercises and special simulators.
Almost all people who have suffered a stroke are prescribed a special diet that must be followed for the rest of their lives. At the Yusupov Hospital, the menu is developed individually for each patient by a personal nutritionist, who will teach you how to eat properly, nutritiously and in a balanced manner, while avoiding foods that contribute to the accumulation of cholesterol.
Read also: How to avoid stroke in women
In some cases, a patient who has suffered a stroke requires the help of a psychologist or psychotherapist. They talk with the patient, maintain fortitude, set him up for a new way of life, teach him to look at the world differently, set goals and actively achieve them.
If you are looking for information about which doctors are needed when treating a stroke, then first contact the Yusupov Hospital by phone. The coordinating doctor will tell you in detail which doctors work in the clinic and, taking into account your wishes, will make an appointment with the right specialist.
Stroke in children
Such a disorder in children can occur for the following reasons: vascular disease of the head, neoplasms, during pregnancy the mother drank or smoked, poor blood clotting, infectious processes in the head, autoimmune pathologies, trauma, leukemia, errors during surgery on the head or other organs.
Many cases of childhood stroke occur for unknown reasons. If such a disease is detected, the baby is required to undergo long-term rehabilitation. The child is placed in a department where a diagnostic procedure, therapy and rehabilitation period are carried out. Improvements are often observed after six months. For a full recovery, you will have to rehabilitate for about 2 years.
No matter how qualified the specialist is, it will not be possible to find out a detailed picture of the disorder without a correct diagnosis. Many symptoms will indicate pathology, but to determine the form of the stroke, an in-depth study of the body will be required. After this, you can begin to select the appropriate therapeutic technique.
Treatment
Usually, an ambulance delivers the patient to the intensive care unit or intensive care unit, depending on his state of health, where he is assisted by a team of doctors on duty: neurologists, cardiologists and other highly specialized specialists.
A neurologist “manages” the treatment process, since stroke is a neurological disease. He prescribes diagnostic procedures (MRI, ultrasound duplex scanning of arteries, cardiogram) and laboratory tests (blood and urine tests). Taking into account the results of tests and procedures, the neurologist prescribes the optimal treatment to restore and maintain vital functions. After basic therapy, the patient is transferred to an inpatient department, where about a dozen highly specialized doctors work with the patient, depending on which parts of the brain were damaged and what disorders appeared as a result.
How to recognize a stroke?
There are some features in the clinical picture of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke. The first is more favorable and is most often diagnosed on time.
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Ischemic type
The disease develops in people of any (but more often older) age. The clinical manifestations appear gradually, which allows patients to notice a deterioration in their condition and consult a doctor on their own.
- Strong headache;
- dizziness and fainting;
- heartache;
- uneven gait;
- weakness in the limbs;
- speech problems.
Hemorrhagic type
It is typical for people over 45 years of age and develops acutely. Patients associate its occurrence with previous physical activity or severe stress. This type of brain stroke develops very quickly and is characterized by more severe consequences than the ischemic form. Unfortunately, in half of the cases the doctor fails to provide assistance on time.
Main features:
- acute onset;
- flushed face;
- sudden severe headache;
- vomit;
- visual impairment;
- disorders of consciousness (from stupor to complete absence).
A person may not have time to realize what happened to him and seek help. Therefore, in public places you should be as careful as possible and if you suspect someone around you is having a stroke, immediately call an ambulance.
Surveillance Features
After a patient with a cerebral infarction is admitted to a neurological hospital and undergoes rehabilitation measures after discharge, he switches to an outpatient treatment regimen. Here, doctors (local therapist and neurologist) assign the patient to appear at a certain time to monitor the well-being and completeness of treatment, the actual dynamics of the disease. This is implemented in a city clinic or medical outpatient clinic. If the patient's condition worsens or the dynamics are unsatisfactory, the doctor treating stroke will routinely refer you to an inpatient facility.
The patient should remember that caring for health is a professional activity of medical personnel, combined with the efforts of his relatives and assistants. It is unacceptable to leave a patient with existing dysfunction without adequate supervision. You also need to monitor whether he really takes the medications prescribed in the hospital or clinic. Often, due to inadequate monitoring of relatives and the inability to self-care, medication is ignored, resulting in a recurrent stroke.
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Areas of activity of personnel
The treatment of cerebral infarction is carried out by several groups of specialists at different stages of the development of the disease and its correction. At the moment of the formation of the first clinical signs of the disease in the acute period of stroke development, an emergency medical team works with the patient. Its task is to stabilize the patient’s condition, preliminary decision on the possibility of performing TLT, antihypertensive, symptomatic and antihypoxic therapy.
After delivery to the hospital, a neurologist examines and decides on treatment tactics, who is advised by a therapist, a cardiologist and, if necessary, a neurosurgeon. The patient must be hospitalized in the intensive care unit, where a resuscitator will support the functioning of organs and systems. Transfer to general somatic departments of hospitals (in this case to neurological) is possible only in a stable condition.
Which doctor treats pathology?
If there are signs of a circulatory disorder, people wonder which specialist is treating stroke. The most correct decision would be to go to the hospital by ambulance, since the patient is prohibited from any physical activity.
After arriving at the hospital, the patient will be taken to the neurological or intensive care unit. Treatment is carried out by two doctors at once: a neurologist and a resuscitator
. First of all, a neuropathologist clarifies the diagnosis using clinical and instrumental research methods, with preference given to computed tomography.
The patient's recovery also takes place in the neurological department. The effects of a circulatory disorder will depend on the part of the brain affected. However, they always exist and in some situations are irreversible. Therefore, after the recovery period, it is time for rehabilitation. It can be carried out by a neurologist or a doctor of the appropriate profile.
When a doctor treats a stroke, he tries to prevent severe disturbances in the functioning of the nervous system and restore them as much as possible. The success of treatment largely depends on the time of contacting a medical facility.
