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An Indiana stroke call center reports an increase in the number of cases they are responding to. The Goodman Campbell Brain and Spine Stroke Call Center has the state’s only 24-hour team of physicians.
They respond to calls from doctors around the state to advise a course of action. Dr. Andrew DeNardo is an interventional neuroradiologist at the center.
"We were maybe getting one to two calls a week and now we’re getting about five to 10 calls a day," DeNardo says.
DeNardo says, besides general symptom awareness, recent advances in treatment options and improved recovery are also behind the increase in cases. Time is crucial when identifying a stroke – symptoms include face dropping, arm weakness and speech difficulty.
DeNardo says despite recent treatment advancements and greater awareness of symptoms, there's clearly room for growth.
"There is still a lot of areas that can use improvement, not just in the treatment algorithms but in the prevention algorithms," DeNardo says.
A healthy diet, no smoking and limited alcohol can help prevent a stroke.
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