Stroke Care at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital
The Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Comprehensive Stroke Center provides exceptional patient care and has the distinguished honor of being a certified Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) by DNV Healthcare. This international accreditation body emphasizes clinical best practices.
Sentara Norfolk General Hospital has been recognized for excellence in stroke care by the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association’s joint “Get with the Guidelines®” (GWTG) program.
What does it mean to be a Comprehensive Stroke Center?
You want to know you’re receiving the best care possible in a medical emergency like a stroke, and a Comprehensive Stroke Center has the ability to provide a full range of advanced stroke treatments while delivering the highest quality care. As part of our commitment to our patients, our team also works hard to understand the underlying cause of your stroke so we can provide therapy to prevent another stroke.
Our Certified Stroke Center certification means:
- Expert stroke care is available 24/7
- We treat the most complex and severe stroke cases
- We treat a high volume of stroke patients, including large ischemic strokes, intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage
- We have advanced neuroimaging capabilities
- We have a dedicated neuroscience ICU
- We’re committed to continually evolving patient care
- We participate in clinical trials and research studies to extend our treatment options for patients
- We accept patients transferred from other stroke centers
Advanced treatment for strokes
The Sentara Norfolk General Stroke program covers the full spectrum of stroke care, from diagnosis to treatment, rehabilitation and follow-up education.
Some of the advanced stroke treatments we offer include:
- Mechanical thrombectomy
- Endovascular aneurysm treatments
- Diagnostic angiograms
- Transcranial doppler ultrasounds
Our stroke team
The composition of a stroke team is important because effective stroke treatment requires many different types of healthcare providers to address the complexity of a stroke. It starts in the emergency room, where our team works with board-certified and specialty-trained neurologists and interventional neuroradiologists to assess and treat stroke symptoms quickly.
Our stroke team is designed for rapid diagnosis, specialized treatment and excellence in post-stroke care.
Our stroke team includes:
- Neurologists (both in-house and through tele-stroke technology) who specialize in treating stroke
- Emergency room providers
- Stroke program coordinators
- Cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgeons
- Interventional neuroradiologist
- Specialized teams of interventional techs and nurses
- Specialized stroke nursing care team members
Telestroke technology
Telestroke technology — a remote, video-based system that allows immediate access to neurologists, saves valuable time by enabling physicians to appear virtually at the bedside shortly after stroke patients arrive in the emergency department. The remote neurologists work with a specially trained team of onsite nurses, physicians, and surgeons to deliver rapid, life-saving care.
Neuroscience intensive care unit (ICU)
The Sentara Norfolk General Hospital Neuroscience ICU is staffed by a team specializing in neuro critical care and featuring advanced technology for treating stroke. Neuro ICUs use state-of-the-art equipment such as intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring, continuous EEG, and advanced imaging techniques to monitor brain function.
Care that doesn’t end in the hospital
When you receive stroke treatment at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital, you’re also connected to a network that provides exceptional follow-up care. This includes physical, occupational and speech therapies to help survivors achieve the best recovery possible after a stroke, and also support their family and caregivers.
BE FAST with stroke
Strokes can happen to anyone. If you suspect someone is having a stroke, BE FAST.
- Observe their Balance, Eyes, Face, Arm, Speech and Time. Every moment matters when it comes to a stroke.
- Call 911.
- Be prepared to tell first responders when the patient was “last known well”’ to help our healthcare team determine the best options for treatment.