Stroke Specialist

Healing Hearts Clinic

Cardiologists located in Conroe, The Woodlands & Huntsville, TX

Almost 800,000 American men and women suffer a stroke every year, and someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Stroke is very serious because it temporarily cuts off the brain’s blood supply, and this can lead to long-term damage. Quick response is important with strokes, as is ongoing care. Trust the expert cardiologists at Healing Hearts Clinic in Conroe, The Woodlands, and Huntsville, Texas, for the stroke support you need. Book an appointment online or by phone now.

Stroke Q & A

What happens in a stroke?

When you have a stroke, your brain doesn't get the blood it needs. In an ischemic stroke, the most frequently occurring kind of stroke, one of the blood vessels or arteries that delivers blood to your brains gets blocked by a blood clot.

In a hemorrhagic stroke, the damage actually starts inside the brain with a burst blood vessel. That blood vessel leaks blood into your brain. Both types of stroke are extremely serious medical emergencies.

What are the symptoms of stroke?

Stroke symptoms can include:

Numbness on one side of your body
Weakness on one side of your body
Confusion or disorientation
Balance and coordination problems
Difficulty in talking or in processing the speech of others
Severe headache
Facial droop on one side

If you notice someone experiencing these symptoms, act right away. Every second is important when it comes to strokes.

How are strokes treated?

One of the reasons that acting fast is so important is that there's a powerful clot-dissolving medication, tPA, to treat ischemic stroke sufferers, but it must be administered in most cases within three hours of the stroke. The American Stroke Association calls tPA "the gold standard" of stroke treatments.

An endovascular treatment known as mechanical thrombectomy can also treat strokes effectively by using a stent to extract the trapped blood clot. A mechanical thrombectomy must happen within six hours of the stroke, and it follows tPA treatment.

For hemorrhagic strokes, endovascular treatment that uses a catheter to place a rupture-prevention coil in the brain is one option. Another option is surgery to prevent further hemorrhage. This can include insertion of a clip at the bottom of an aneurysm.

How do I prevent strokes?

Most strokes are preventable with your cardiologist's help. Prevention often starts with lifestyle. Your cardiologist may recommend stopping smoking, eating healthier, getting regular exercise, and taking other proactive steps to reduce your blood pressure and your overall risk of stroke.

If your cardiologist determines that you're at risk for stroke, you may need medication such as anticoagulants or blood pressure medication.

If you've got plaque accumulation in your arteries, you might need to have a medical procedure like carotid artery surgery to extract the plaque or angioplasty to widen your blood vessels.

To learn more about stroke prevention, use online booking now or call the office to schedule your appointment.

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