CAMC General Hospital  

Stroke Center

The CAMC Stroke Center, located at CAMC General Hospital, is an interdisciplinary program specializing in the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of stroke and stroke-related disorders. The center brings together physicians and medical experts from multiple specialties, including neurology, neurosurgery, radiology, emergency medicine, pharmacy and medical rehabilitation to provide rapid, comprehensive evaluation and management of stroke patients.

The Stroke Center is coordinated by a specialized stroke team, which is a crucial link in the chain of survival for acute stroke victims because of its ability to respond rapidly with assessment and effective treatment. The team has participated in pilot studies with the ETHOS national web-based acute stroke treatment registry and initiated its own hospital-based stroke registry.

Clinical trials
The CAMC Stroke Center currently is participating in two national stroke clinical trials to evaluate the effectiveness of neuroprotective agents given within four to six hours of acute stroke symptom onset. For more information, contact the CAMC Clinical Trials Center at (304) 388-9944.

Risk factors
Stroke is the fourth leading cause of death in West Virginia, and the number of new strokes occurring each year is on the rise. However, most strokes can be effectively prevented by controlling the following risk factors – and strokes can be effectively treated if a correct diagnosis and treatment are provided in time.

• Smoking

• High blood pressure

• Obesity

• High cholesterol

• Diabetes

• Heart disease

• Inactivity

• Poor diet

• Substance abuse

• Age, gender and heredity

Know the signs
Although medical treatments can reverse the course of stroke, they’re not effective unless administered within the first three hours that symptoms first appear. If you or a loved one experiences any of these symptoms, call 911 immediately: 

• Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arms, or legs, especially on one side of the body 

• Sudden confusion, difficulty speaking, or comprehension problems 

• Sudden vision problems in one or both eyes 

• Sudden dizziness, difficulty walking, or loss of balance or coordination 

• Sudden, severe headache with no known cause 

For more information about stroke, visit www.strokesense.org.