By Mayo Clinic staff Heart-Healthy Living
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Emergency treatment for stroke depends on whether you're having an ischemic stroke blocking an artery the most common kind or a hemorrhagic stroke involving bleeding into the brain.
Ischemic strokeTo treat an ischemic stroke, doctors must quickly restore blood flow to your brain.
Emergency treatment with medications. Therapy with clot-busting drugs (thrombolytics) must start within 4.5 hours if they are given into the vein and the sooner, the better. Quick treatment not only improves your chances of survival but also may reduce the complications from your stroke. You may be given:
Aspirin. Aspirin, an anti-thrombotic drug, is an immediate treatment after an ischemic stroke to reduce the likelihood of having another stroke. Aspirin prevents blood clots from forming. In the emergency room, you may be given a dose of aspirin. The dose may vary, but if you already take a daily aspirin for its blood-thinning effect, you may want to make a note of that on an emergency medical card so doctors will know if you've already taken some aspirin.
Other blood-thinning drugs, such as heparin, also may be given, but this drug isn't proven to be beneficial in the emergency setting so it's used infrequently. Clopidogrel (Plavix), warfarin (Coumadin), or aspirin in combination with extended release dipyridamole (Aggrenox) may also be used, but these aren't usually used in the emergency room setting.
Emergency procedures. Doctors sometimes treat ischemic strokes with procedures that must be performed as soon as possible.
Other procedures. To decrease your risk of having another stroke or TIA, your doctor may recommend a procedure to open up an artery that's moderately to severely narrowed by plaque. Doctors sometimes recommend these procedures to prevent a stroke. Options may include:
Hemorrhagic strokeEmergency treatment of hemorrhagic stroke focuses on controlling your bleeding and reducing pressure in your brain. Surgery also may be used to help reduce future risk.
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Stroke: Treatments and drugs - MayoClinic.com