The OHSU Stroke Program is a national leader in stroke treatment. We offer coordinated care from the onset of stroke through recovery and rehabilitation. You’ll find:

• Highly trained neurologists, neurosurgeons, neurointensivists and others who work together.
• Advanced imaging so we can choose the most effective treatment.
• Extensive experience treating rare and atypical stroke disorders. 
• Stroke therapies, including the latest blood clot removal methods, that we helped pioneer.
• Around-the-clock access to specialists, including through our Telemedicine Network. 
• Complete rehabilitation and support services.
• Access to clinical trials.

Get immediate help

Learn the BE FAST signs of stroke. If you have stroke symptoms, call 911.

Time is brain: From the moment of your first symptom, doctors have only a few hours to use some treatments to prevent brain damage. Immediate treatments may include: 

• Medication to dissolve blood clots, typically given up to 4½ hours from first symptoms.
• Treatment to find and remove a blood clot, usually up to eight hours after first symptoms.
• Blood vessel surgery to treat aneurysms, arteriovenous malformations and hemorrhagic strokes.
• Medication to protect brain tissue.

Treatments

Treatments depend on the type of stroke. They include emergency therapies as well as  measures to prevent complications and another stroke. 

Ischemic stroke:

• Tissue plasminogen activator or tPA: This “clot-busting” intravenous medication, called a thrombolytic, must be given within 4½ hours of the stroke’s onset to be effective. Using an artery to send it directly to the clot can sometimes extend this window. 
• Antiplatelet agents: These medications, including aspirin and Plavix, stop blood fragments called platelets from clumping and forming clots. They are often given soon after ischemic stroke. They are also used to prevent first strokes.
• Anticoagulants: These medications, also called blood thinners, include Heparin, Coumadin and Apixaban. They delay the formation of blood clots. They may be prescribed to people with atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat). Those who have had an ischemic stroke caused by a clot that traveled from the heart may also get them. 

Hemorrhagic stroke:

• Immediate treatments: Medications can control blood pressure, prevent seizures and reduce pressure in the space between the skull and brain. Some patients may need medications to reverse the effects of anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents. 
• Nimodipine: This medication protects brain tissue after a subarachnoid hemorrhage. It relaxes and widens blood vessels that might go into spasm.

Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation begins while you are in the hospital and usually continues after you go home. Our experienced neurological therapists can help you relearn skills, regain independence and improve quality of life. Rehabilitation may include: 

• Communication therapy 
• Mobility and motor skills training 
• Psychological therapy, such as counseling, a support group and medication for depression

Facial reanimation surgery: Learn how OHSU doctors can restore your smile, improve facial symmetry and help other functions after paralysis from stroke. 

Clinical trials

Providers and scientists at the OHSU Brain Institute do extensive research, with hundreds of published papers on stroke. Research includes clinical trials to test new ways to treat stroke. Your care team will talk with you about any trial that might help you.