Overview
Stroke is the nation’s third-leading cause of death, behind diseases of the heart and cancer, and is the No. 1 cause of adult disability. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts open (called a brain aneurysm). When this occurs, part of the brain is deprived of blood and oxygen needed, which causes brain cells to die leading to permanent damage.
When the brain is under attack by a stroke, getting the right treatment as quickly as possible is critical. As part of the first Joint Commission-accredited Primary Stroke Center in the region, the team at Memorial Hermann-Texas Medical Center’s Mischer Neuroscience Institute is specially trained to do just that. We were the first network of accredited Stroke Centers in the region and among fewer than 30 in Texas. Our network of Memorial Hermann Stroke Centers also enables Memorial Hermann Emergency Centers to receive stroke patients transferred via ground or Life Flight® air ambulance from hospitals lacking the capability or capacity to provide urgent treatment. Memorial Hermann-TMC is also the region’s only on-site, 24/7 dedicated stroke team offering patients comprehensive treatment around the clock.
As pioneers in treating acute stroke, our team members are the recipients of more than $2 million annually in National Institutes of Health (NIH) grants for stroke research. We were the first in Houston and one of the first in the country to use the clot-dissolving drug tPA for acute strokes. When given tPA within three hours of the onset of stroke symptoms, patients are at least 33 percent more likely to recover from a stroke with little or no disability.
The Stroke Center’s scope of expertise
- Cerebral thrombosis
- Cerebral embolism
- Intracerebral hemorrhage
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Cerebrovascular surgery
- Transient ischemic attack
- Carotid and vertebral artery stenosis
- Cardiac causes of stroke
- Genetically-based stroke disease
- Immunological causes of stroke
- Coagulation (blood clotting) disorders
- Stroke in young patients
- Vascular dementia
To speak to a physician, call 713.500.7100. For urgent consultations, please contact the Memorial Hermann-TMC page operator at 713.704.4000 and ask to page the neurologist on call.