If the patient gets to Memorial Hermann's ER in time to be treated with these urgent therapies, the recovery rate is much improved. We have to get the message out. The plan begins with Houston Fire Department rescue personnel, who have received special training to recognize the signs of stroke. A stroke occurs when an artery leading to the brain is blocked by plaque or a blood clot, and ruptures. Brain damage spreads as the blood flow is interrupted.
Stroke is the nation's third leading killer and the primary cause of adult disability.
But those numbers can be reduced. If a patient gets to an ER in time, doctors can evaluate the stroke rapidly and determine the best, most effective treatment.