Overview

Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Stroke Center offers the highest standard of care for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, which includes diagnosis, prevention and treatment for patients with stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases, with clinical and research expertise in:

• Emergency neurology
• Stroke neurology
• Diagnostic radiology
• Interventional radiology
• Vascular neurosurgery
• Neurocritical care
• Neurological rehabilitation

Staffed by a team of neurologists and neurosurgeons experienced in diagnosis and management of the full spectrum of stroke—from ischemic stroke to rare cerebrovascular conditions such as moyamoya disease—the Stroke Center offers an integrated approach that incorporates treatment of cerebrovascular and any secondary cardiovascular disease that may also be affecting the patient’s health or impeding recovery.

What We Treat
 

Northwestern’s Stroke Center’s team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurointensivists, neuroradiologists, advanced practice nurses and rehabilitation therapists work together to treat:

• Acute stroke, whether ischemic or hemorrhagic
• Transient ischemic attack (TIA)
• Vasculitis
• Carotid and vertebral dissection
• Subarachnoid hemorrhage
• Aneurysms
• Narrowing and blockage of brain blood vessels
• Vascular malformations in the brain
• Moyamoya disease

What We Offer
 

The NM Comprehensive Stroke Center’s mission is to reduce fatalities from stroke as well as any accompanying disability by offering both standard and leading-edge acute stroke care, as well as integrating treatment approaches to help speed recovery and aid rehabilitation.

The Center also seeks to promote healthy lifestyle choices that can help reduce risk for stroke and to provide patient education that informs the public about stroke.

What Patients Can Expect
 

Upon arrival, Stroke Center neurologists examine the patient within the emergency department, performing testing that may include blood tests and brain scans to pinpoint the cause of the stroke symptoms and whether or not administration of tPA (medicine to remove blood clots) is necessary.

The Stroke Center works closely with referring doctors in order to provide coordinated continuity of care. The program also includes:

• Treatment options for stroke that include neurosurgical, cerebrovascular and endovascular procedures
• Consultations with neurologists and neurointerventionists 24/7
• Seamless patient transfers, whether by ground or by air
• A neurointensive care unit run by neurointensivists
• Clinical trials
• Stroke support groups for survivors and caregivers

Extensively Trained Neuroscience Nurses
 

The neuroscience nurses at Northwestern Memorial Hospital are extensively trained in management of acute stroke. The Neuro Spine ICU, Neuro Stepdown and neuro acute nurses are all certified in the National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) assessment tool.

The NIHSS assessment tool is an essential component in standardizing the assessment of stroke severity in a way that is understood by multiple professions and disciplines. Additionally, many of the nurses are certified in critical care (CCRN), or as neuroscience specialists (CNRN).

As part of our comprehensive approach to stroke care, a nurse stroke specialist is available at all times. An Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) serves as the Comprehensive Stroke Center Coordinator, providing specialized expertise and support for patients, families, and stroke team members, as well as facilitating communication with community-based doctors and emergency departments.  

Advancing the Understanding of Stroke
 

As an academic medical center, Northwestern Memorial Hospital is committed to growing the understanding of cardiovascular disease, through:

• Fellowships
• Continuing medical education
• Residencies
• Training programs
• Clinical trials

Clinical stroke research offers a vital means of developing more effective ways to prevent stroke, manage acute stroke and aid recovery of stroke survivors.

The ongoing clinical trials in Stroke Center research bring advances in drugs, treatments, therapies and procedures that improve the lives of patients and bring about more effective treatment of patients with stroke.

Rehabilitation & Recovery
 

The Center works with the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago (RIC) to offer inpatient rehabilitation and comprehensive care that includes stroke survivors.

Located on the Northwestern Memorial Hospital campus, the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago is the No. 1 ranked rehabilitation center in the country.

At the RIC, teams including:

• Doctors
• Occupational and physical therapists
• Speech pathologists
• Therapeutic recreation specialists
• Rehabilitation nurses

work together to offer individualized treatment programs and comprehensive assessments for patients recovering from stroke.

Patients may be seen in the hospital, in the rehabilitation center, or on an outpatient basis. The goal is to return to an optimal level of function, whether at home, at work, or within the community.

Therapeutic approaches are available at the RIC, designed to improve:

• Everyday living
• Functional movement
• Balance and coordination
• Attention
• Memory and mental function
• Visual perception
• Swallowing function

Therapists also have advanced training in areas such as:

• Constraint-induced movement therapy (CIMT)
• Neuro-developmental therapy
• Spasticity management
• Vestibular (balance) therapy
• Wheelchair seating and positioning
• Speech therapy

Contact Us
 

You can contact the Northwestern Comprehensive Stroke Center at 312-926-5188 or by the external transfer line at 312-926-3321.