The first three days following a stroke, called the hyper acute care phase, are incredibly critical to the recovery and survival rate of the patient.
The stroke patient is stabilized, given a brain scan to determine what kind of stroke appeared, and if needed, surgery is performed.
During this time, it is determined how much damage to the brain has occurred and whether there are lifelong disabilities. The patient is continually monitored for possible recurrent strokes, and a rehabilitation plan is put into place. The length of a hospital stay after a stroke is usually five to seven days.