Stroke Care

OVERVIEW

Santa Clara Valley Medical Center has proven expertise in caring for people who have had a stroke has earned us special advanced certification from The Joint Commission as a Primary Stroke Center since 2007.

The Stroke program at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center aims to create a high quality, evidence-based environment so that the specialized needs of our stoke patients may be addressed.

YOU WILL RECEIVE:

• Award-Winning Care: 
  • Santa Clara Valley Medical Hospital has received the American Heart Association’s Stroke SILVER PLUS Get With The Guidelines®-Stroke Achievement Award. This recognition supports that Santa Clara Valley Medical Hospital is meeting quality measures and applying the most up-to-date evidence-based treatment guidelines to improve patient care and outcomes in the community we serve. 
     
  • U.S. News & World Report, the global authority in hospital rankings and consumer advice, has named Santa Clara Valley Medical Hospital as a 2022-2023 High Performing hospital for Stroke. This is the highest award a hospital can earn for U.S. News’ Best Hospitals Procedures & Conditions ratings.
• Experienced Team of Experts:
  • Neurologist
  • Nurses
  • Radiologist
  • Neurosurgeons
  • Vascular Surgeons
  • Occupational Therapists
  • Physical Therapists
  • Physical Therapist Assistants
  • Speech/Language Pathologist
  • Case Managers and Social Workers
• Innovative diagnosis and treatment: Our special team provides rapid diagnosis and treatment for stroke patients, designated areas in the hospital with especially trained staff to care for patients who have experienced a stroke, and integrated services from several departments throughout our hospital.

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STROKE DIAGNOSIS

Stroke is a medical emergency which requires rapid identification. Stroke recognition is key in the delivery of timed interventions available. You can recognize when someone is having a stroke by remembering the warning signs of stroke which include:

A simple way to remember the warning signs of a stroke is the acronym BEFAST.

Call 911 for SUDDEN onset of:

• BALANCE: Sudden loss of balance or difficulty walking.

• EYES: Sudden trouble seeing, double vision or vision change in one or both eyes
• FACE: Sudden facial droop, loss of movement, numbness or tingling on one side of the face
• ARM: Sudden weakness, numbness or tingling in one arm or leg
• SPEECH: Sudden difficulty speaking, slurred speech or confusion
• TERRIBLE HEADACHE: Sudden severe headache with no known cause