Nationwide, nearly 30 percent of stroke patients die after an attack, said Andrea Barch, a neuro science clinical nurse specialist at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital. Barch served as Sentara's team leader in a regional stroke program involving 40 hospitals from May to December 1999. By comparison, other hospitals in the VHA study reduced the waiting time for CT scans from 83 minutes to 62 minutes. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States, behind heart disease and cancer, according to the American Heart Association. About 600,000 Americans suffer stroke every year, and 160,000 of them die.
Stroke is the leading cause of disability among adults.
Just over 4,000 people in Virginia died of stroke in 1997, the most recent year for which figures are available. During a stroke, brain cells die because of insufficient blood flow and lack of oxygen. Strokes have several causes. Some of the most dangerous are caused by a burst blood vessel in the brain. The vast majority, however, are caused when arterial pathways leading to the brain are blocked by blood clots or a buildup of fatty material.