How to reduce your risk of stroke

Every 40 seconds, someone in the United States has a stroke. The medical emergency, which happens when blood flow to the brain is either reduced or stopped, is a leading cause of death in America and a major cause of serious disability in adults. But there are effective treatments available — including one newly offered at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital, an HCA Florida Healthcare acute care facility.

In April, interventional cardiologist Prasad Chalasani, MD, began performing endovascular renal denervation procedures at HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital. These cutting-edge treatments manage high blood pressure, or hypertension — a major risk factor for stroke — by selectively disrupting nerves in the renal arteries, which are responsible for regulating blood pressure.

Standard treatments for hypertension typically rely on medicines alone, but renal denervation procedures offer minimally invasive alternatives for patients whose high blood pressure hasn’t responded to medication or lifestyle changes.

HCA Florida Lawnwood Hospital was the first healthcare facility on the Treasure Coast to offer renal denervation.

“This procedure represents a paradigm shift in the management of hypertension, offering hope and improved outcomes for individuals who have struggled to control their blood pressure through traditional means,” Dr. Chalasani says.

Learn about the comprehensive stroke centers in the HCA Florida Healthcare network.

Know your stroke risk

In addition to hypertension, stroke risk factors include obesity, diabetes, high cholesterol, alcohol or drug abuse or heart disease. It’s vital to understand what might make you more likely to suffer a stroke so you can reduce your risk. Talking to your doctor about ways to prevent stroke is a good place to start.

At HCA Florida Healthcare, we have the state’s largest cardiovascular network, making it easy for patients to access a full spectrum of heart, lung and vascular care treatments and services. Our comprehensive stroke centers have emergency stroke care teams available around the clock to provide lifesaving diagnosis and treatment, as well as rehabilitation services and specialists to help with your recovery.

BE FAST

While developing new treatment options like renal denervation to combat hypertension are critical to stroke prevention, it’s also important to know the signs of stroke because acting quickly can help reduce its long-lasting effects.

May is American Stroke Month, a month dedicated to raising awareness of the disease. That makes it a perfect time to remind yourself of the signs of stroke, which can be summed up with the acronym BE FAST.:

• Balance loss
• Eyesight changes
• Face drooping
• Arm weakness
• Speech difficulty
• Time to call 911

Learning to BE FAST can help save lives and spread awareness. 

Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ 

HCA Florida Healthcare is dedicated to decreasing stroke risk for every member of our communities. That’s why we developed the Getting to the Heart of Stroke™ initiative in conjunction with the American Heart Association and the HCA Healthcare Foundation. The initiative focuses on preventing, treating and beating stroke by:

• Providing nationwide consumer and healthcare professional education
• Deepening collaboration between neurology and cardiology
• Equitably empowering communities to improve health outcomes

As some people, including the Black and Hispanic/Latinx populations, face additional barriers to identifying and managing risk factors for stroke, Getting to the Heart of Stroke focuses on local health efforts and community education in areas like women’s health, high blood pressure management, nutrition security and tobacco/vaping prevention.

The HCA Healthcare Foundation is also a national supporter of the American Stroke Association’s Together to End Stroke^®, an initiative that brings together healthcare professionals, stroke survivors, caregivers, sponsors and supporters to aid in the shared goal of ending stroke.

Learn about the comprehensive stroke centers in the HCA Florida Healthcare network.