Services & Programs

Rowan Regional Medical Center provides comprehensive clinical care for the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and nerve disorders, including disorders of the brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves, muscles and neurobehavioral disorders. Rowan Regional Medical Center is certified as a stroke center by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations. The designation is awarded to health care facilities that have demonstrated excellence in healthcare quality and have met the rigorous national standards and performance measurements for stroke care established by the Joint Commission and the American Stroke Association.

As part of the certification process, a “stroke code response team” was formed at Rowan Regional Medical Center. Now, when a stroke victim arrives at the Emergency Department, a special code is activated. After the stroke patient is examined by a physician and a CT scan performed on the victim’s brain, physicians make the decision about the appropriate care for the patient, including possible use of clot-busting drugs that can reverse the physical and mental effects caused by strokes.

What is a Stroke?

Commonly called “brain attacks” because they destroy brain cells, strokes affect about 750,000 Americans each year and are a leading cause of severe, long-term disability. A stroke occurs when a blood clot blocks a blood vessel or artery, or when a blood vessel breaks, interrupting blood flow to an area of the brain.

Treatment for stroke is most effective when started immediately. If you, or someone you know, experience the warning signs of a stroke, get to the Emergency Department at Rowan Regional Medical Center immediately. Our hospital is a Certified Primary Stroke Centers, which means that you'll receive comprehensive stroke care by a team of highly trained specialists.

In the past, there were few treatments for stroke victims. Now there are therapeutic drugs that dissolve blood clots and restore normal functions in many cases. But stroke victims should get to a hospital immediately since the drugs can be administered only in the first few hours after the onset of a stroke.

Warning Signs of a Stroke

During a stroke, every minute makes a difference. That is why it is important to recognize when a stroke is occurring. Research shows that there is a major lack of public awareness when it comes to knowing the warning signs of stroke.

Warnings Signs include:

• Sudden blindness in one eye
• Sudden weakness or numbness in an arm, leg or the face, particularly affecting only one side.
• "Droop," the sagging of one side of the face, is common.
• Sudden difficulty speaking or understanding others. Blurred vision.
• Sudden whirling dizziness, especially with double vision or slurred speech.
• An excruciating headache may indicate a hemorrhagic stroke when a blood vessel bursts in the brain. But more common ischemic strokes may produce little or no pain.

Bystanders should note that strokes may impair judgment. Victims may be unaware of their attack or attribute it to other factors.

Risk Factors for Stroke
While some risk factors cannot be affected by treatment or lifestyle changes, you can change or treat other factors.

Risk factors that can be changed, treated or medically managed:

• High blood pressure
• Diabetes mellitus (in some cases)
• Heart disease
• Cigarette smoking
• History of transient ischemic attacks (TIAs)
• High red blood cell count
• High blood cholesterol and lipids
• Lack of exercise or physical activity
• Obesity
• Excessive alcohol use
• Drug abuse, especially cocaine or intravenous drugs

Risk factors that cannot be managed or changed:

• Age
• Race
• Diabetes mellitus (in some cases)
• Heredity or genetics
• Prior stroke or heart attack

Other factors that affect stroke risk:

• Where you live - strokes are more common in the Southeast
• Temperature, season and climate - deaths from stroke occur more often in times of extreme temperatures
• Socioeconomic factors - some unexplained evidence indicates stroke is more common among lower-income people

For more information on our stroke services, call 1-800-335-4921.