Our Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) certification from The Joint Commission, in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, signifies that Halifax Health meets rigorous standards for performing mechanical endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), a specialized surgical procedure used to remove a blood clot from the brain during an ischemic stroke.
Patients have access to the latest diagnostic technologies to pinpoint specific disorders. We are using advanced imaging technologies to produce scans of the brain and the spinal cord that provide our healthcare teams with vital information such as blood flow and electrical activity in the brain and how well nerves are conducting electrical impulses to muscles. Armed with this information, Halifax Health’s Comprehensive Stroke Center can diagnose and treat patients more successfully.
The following diagnostic studies are performed at Halifax Health:
Halifax Health offers several techniques for patients with AVMs or aneurysms once considered impossible to treat because of their location or size.
The clot-dissolving drug, tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), treats strokes caused by blood clots, as blood clots cause about 80 percent of all strokes. The tPA dissolves the clot and restores blood flow to the brain. tPA carries a risk of bleeding in the brain, but its benefits outweigh the risks when an experienced doctor uses it properly. Not every stroke patient, particularly those having a hemorrhagic stroke, should be treated with tPA. That is why it’s extremely important to determine the type of stroke very quickly. tPA is effective only if given promptly. For maximum benefit, the therapy must be started within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms. That’s why it’s so critical that medical professionals and the public recognize stroke as a medical emergency and respond immediately.
In addition to new techniques, Halifax Health is pioneering a number of new interventional radiology procedures to prevent stroke in patients with selected high-risk AVMs, aneurysms, and partially blocked arteries. These endovascular procedures are performed within the blood vessel.
The Center brings together the expertise of specialists in many different areas to provide our patients with the benefit of a collaborative team approach. The team includes physicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuro-radiologists, neuropsychologists, emergency medicine, rehabilitation medicine specialists and a dedicated nursing staff.
Neuro-radiologists/interventional radiologists specifically trained in rapidly diagnosing strokes via computerized tomography (CT) scans, as well as treating strokes via minimally invasive approach, (Solitaire or Penumbra devices) are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Emergency department physicians and clinicians are specialists in the diagnosis and treatment stroke.
Halifax Health neurosurgeons specially trained in performing surgical procedures relating to hemorrhagic strokes (strokes caused by blood vessels bursting in the brain) and interventional radiologists are standing by 24 hours a day to support the urgent needs of our patients.
Our rehabilitation team has had over seventeen years of experience in stroke related rehabilitation. For patients that require rehabilitation to revoke from stroke, this begins as soon as medically possible. Our rehabilitation staff includes physicians specializing in rehabilitation medicine and physical/occupation/speech therapy weekly team conferences are held through the patient’s hospitalization to progress through the rehab process. For patients that need ongoing inpatient rehabilitation, the Halifax Health Brooks Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation is located within Halifax Hospital. This center is rated nationally in the top ten percent in quality of care and patient outcomes. Continued rehabilitation can also be provided through home health services and in our outpatient clinics. Our Daytona campus provides specialty outpatient services for stroke rehabilitation including advanced equipment.
We are staffed with endovascular surgeons specifically trained in performing surgical procedures related to strokes caused by blockage in arteries of the neck.
As a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center, Halifax Health is the proud recipient of the Get With The Guidelines Gold Plus Achievement Award which means that we have once again reached an aggressive goal of treating stroke patients with 85 percent or higher compliance to core standard levels of care as outlined by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association for 24 consecutive months. In addition, those hospitals have demonstrated 75 percent compliance to seven out of ten stroke quality measures during the 12-month period.
Get With The Guidelines® puts the unparalleled expertise of the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association to work for hospitals nationwide, helping hospital care teams ensure the care provided to patients is aligned with the latest research-based guidelines based on the latest scientific evidence. Developed with the goal to save lives and hasten recovery, Get With The Guidelines programs have touched the lives of more than 6 million patients since 2001.
Most hospitals that implement Get With The Guidelines® realize measurable results, including improved patient outcomes and fewer recurring events. It’s a difference that shows in the lives of patients and their families and in the satisfaction felt by caregivers empowered to do their best.
Halifax Health additionally received the association’s Target: StrokeSM Honor Roll Elite with Advanced Therapy award. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must achieve Door to Needle and Door to Device in 90 minutes or less in 50% of patients arriving directly, and Door to Needle and Door to Device in 60 minutes or less in 50% of transfer patients to improve quality of patient care and outcomes.
We were also awarded the association's Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll. To qualify for this recognition, hospitals must qualify for the Silver level or higher achievement award in Get With The Guidelines- Stroke and achieve an overall diabetes cardiovascular initiative composite score of 80% or greater.
According to the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, stroke is the No. 5 cause of death and a leading cause of adult disability in the United States. On average, someone in the U.S. suffers a stroke every 40 seconds and nearly 795,000 people suffer a new or recurrent stroke each year.
To read more about this award, visit the link: Get With The Guidelines Stroke Awards 2022 | Halifax Health
If you or someone you know experiences any of the warning signs listed above, it is extremely important to seek emergency help right away. Call 911 immediately, even if you think that you are getting better or if the symptoms seem to disappear. If the symptoms last for more than 10 to 15 minutes, appear frequently or seem to get worse, ask the emergency responders for urgent transportation to the nearest appropriate emergency medical facility.
Unfortunately, patients often do not seek help for a day or more after the first symptoms appear. By that time, it is usually too late for new treatments to be effective. Recognizing and responding to the warning signs of stroke – as soon as they appear – gives the patient the best chance for an optimal recovery.
Halifax Health – Center for Neurosciences and Halifax Health – Brooks Rehabilitation Center for Inpatient Rehabilitation host a free support group that is for newly diagnosed stroke survivors, long term stroke survivors and their caregivers. The support group involves stroke support personnel and medical clinicians that provide insight and resources on the challenges that survivors and caregivers face.
Revitalize your recovery with free support sessions hosted by stroke survivors on the second Tuesday of every month at 6:00 pm at the Ormond Beach YMCA. Connect with other stroke survivors and share your journey every step of the way.
Halifax Health offers the HIGHEST level of stroke care in our community. We have stroke centers located all over the state of Florida. Click on the link below to view a map of joint commission stroke centers in Florida.
