title: Early management of stroke patients in the emergency department.
abstract: Stroke continues to be one of the leading causes of death and adult disability. Increasing public awareness of stroke has led to a rise in the number of patients presenting to emergency departments (EDs) who qualify for emergent and time-sensitive treatments such as t-PA, clot extraction, and surgery. Timely treatment and supportive care of the stroke patient in the ED is crucial for patient outcomes. Emergency medicine (EM) pharmacists are the medication experts and can have a significant impact on the care of a stroke patient. Thus, it is essential for EM pharmacists to have a solid knowledge of the current guidelines and evidence-based literature or lack there of. In this article, we describe the epidemiology of stroke, review the classifications of stroke, and discuss the present treatment strategies for emergent and supportive care.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. woloszyn.amanda@mayo.edu
authors.forename: Amanda V
authors.initials: AV
authors.lastname: Woloszyn
authors.forename: Michael A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Schwarz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D004635:Emergency Medicine / Q000379:methods* / Q000458:organization & administration; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012307:Risk Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D014481:United States
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator