29/10/2025
Acute stroke management
"Every Minute Counts" that is an urgent massage of World Stroke Day 2025,
emphasizing how timely action can save lives and improve recovery.
Acute stroke management is critical because it aims to save brain cells, minimize long-term disability, and improve the chance of recovery.
A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions because of disturbance in the blood supply to brain. It can be due to ischemia caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to hemorrhage. 85% will have sustained a cerebral infarction due to inadequate blood flow to part of the brain. The remainder will have had an intracerebral hemorrhage. Sometimes stroke symptoms are resolved completely within 24 hours because of the reversibility of tissue damage from ischemic attack that is called transient ischemic attack (TIA). If affected area of the brain that is large, neurological deficient of cerebrovascular cause that persists beyond 24 hours or is interrupted by death within 24 hours.
An ischaemic stroke is occasionally treated with thrombolysis, but usually with supported care (physiotherapy, speech and language therapy and occupational therapy) in a ”stroke unit” and secondary prevention with antiplatelet drugs (aspirin and often dipyridamole), blood pressure control, statins and selected patient with carotid endarterectomy and anticoagulation.
Various systems have been proposed to increase recognition of stroke. Sudden onset face weakness, arm drift (i.e. if a person, when asked to raise both arms, involuntarily lets one arm drift downward), and abnormal speech are the findings most likely to lead to the correct identification of a case of stroke increasing the likelihood by 5.5 when at least one of these is present). All of these are absent, the likelihood of stroke is significantly decreased (likelihood ratio of 0.39).
Propose systems include FAST (face, arm, speech, and time) as advocated by the Department of Health (UK) and the Stroke Association, the American Stroke Association, the National Stroke Association (US), Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen (LAPSS) and Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Scale (CPSS). Use of these scales is recommended by professional guidelines.
For the people referred to emergency room, early recognition of stroke, a scoring system is called ROSIER (recognition of stroke in the emergency room), it is based on features from the medical history and physical examination.
Acute stroke management requires immediate stabilization, including airway support, blood pressure control, and IV access, while addressing the stroke type (ischemic or hemorrhagic) with interventions like thrombolytics or mechanical thrombectomy if applicable. Simultaneously, damage-induced pulmonary edema (neurogenic pulmonary edema) necessitates supportive care like oxygen or mechanical ventilation, but avoids aggressive diuresis to prevent compromising cerebral perfusion.
Monitor ICP and manage it if it becomes elevated using osmotherapy (e.g., hypertonic saline) or other methods.
Stroke and management can be seen at following link.
Stroke A stroke is the rapidly developing loss of brain functions because of disturbance in the blood supply to brain. It can be due to ischemia caused by thrombosis or embolism or due to hemorrhage. 85% will have sustained a cerebral infarction due to inadequate blood flow to part of the brain....