Stroke Care

Why Choose Us for Stroke Care

If you think you or a loved one is having a stroke, call 911 immediately. With stroke, every minute counts.

You can trust Tower Health hospitals for emergency stroke care. Our three certified stroke centers serve Southeastern Pennsylvania with rapid response treatment to limit the effects of a stroke. Our advanced technology allows us to precisely diagnose the location and type of stroke, and provide clot-busting medications or mechanical interventions to safely and quickly remove the clot from the brain.

How is Stroke Diagnosed?

Timing is very important. To find out if you had a stroke and what treatment is best, you may have several tests.

• CAT Scan. One of the first tests that will be performed. It gives the doctor details about the location, cause, and extent of the brain injury.
• MRI. A more-detailed image than a CAT scan. It may be needed to show deep or small brain injuries.
• Angiography. Dye is injected into the blood vessels of the brain.
• Carotid Ultrasound. Helps to measure the amount of blockage in the carotid arteries that take blood to the brain.
• Cardiac Ultrasound. Measures the size of your heart chambers, thickness of the heart muscle, blood flow speed, and direction to determine if any heart valves are narrowing or leaking.

Stroke Treatment

Rapid-response treatment offers the greatest chance for recovery and reduces the risk of permanent brain damage. Immediate therapy is aimed at removing blood clots that block blood flow to portions of the brain. Treatment involves dissolving the clot with "clot-busting" medication, or removing the clot with a procedure called a mechanical thrombectomy.

If you experience stroke symptoms, specialists will examine you immediately at one of our emergency departments. When needed, the stroke centers at all three Tower Health hospitals can administer clot-busting medication within minutes. Patients with certain "bleeding" strokes, or who need clot retrieval, are immediately transferred to the comprehensive stroke center at Reading Hospital.

After immediate treatment, patients are admitted to a dedicated stroke unit where they are closely monitored and cared for by specialized medical and nursing staff. Our expert team will work to uncover the causes of the stroke and, if an underlying condition is diagnosed, develop a treatment plan.

Stroke Rehabilitation

Rehabilitation starts soon after a stroke, when a team of physical, occupational, and speech therapists see the patient while they are in the hospital. After the hospital stay, our certified stroke rehab programs provide comprehensive inpatient and outpatient therapy. Our goal is to maximize recovery from a stroke with a personalized treatment plan so our patients can regain independence as quickly as possible.

Stroke Prevention

If you or a loved one are at risk for a stroke or have a disease that affects blood flow to the brain, it is important to see a multidisciplinary team to diagnose and manage the condition. As an integrated healthcare system, we include a wide network of providers including primary care physicians, vascular neurologists, neurosurgeons, cardiologists, and vascular surgeons. Our experts offer the most advanced diagnostic testing and treatment options. 

Treatment to lower the risk of stroke may include:

• Lifestyle changes such as good nutrition, healthy weight management, and exercise
• Medication management to alleviate symptoms, treat underlying conditions, or assist in recovery
• Minimally invasive procedures for the blood vessels, heart, or brain to treat underlying cardiovascular disease

Our Stroke Awards

Tower Health hospitals are committed to providing the highest quality care — and it shows. Our national accreditations and certifications show we meet the most stringent patient care guidelines. That means you can be confident you’re receiving care from a trusted, skilled team.

Tower Health hospital advanced stroke centers are Joint Commission-certified, demonstrating our efforts and commitment to achieving the highest standards of performance and care.

Reading Hospital is certified as an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC), which is the highest available designation. This certification is awarded only after a rigorous evaluation, and demonstrates the ability to receive and treat the most complex patients. This includes both ischemic (blocked blood vessel) and hemorrhagic (brain aneurysm) strokes.

Pottstown and Phoenixville Hospitals are certified as Primary Stroke Centers (PSC), signifying our commitment to delivering standardized care centered on evidence-based guidelines.

Our PSCs provide rapid, specialized neurological evaluations when stroke is suspected. They have the 24/7 ability to treat ischemic (blocked blood vessel) stroke with lifesaving "clot-busting" medication and admit patients to dedicated stroke beds.

How Reading Hospital Achieved CSC Designation

• Program leadership. Our team is led by medical directors with extensive cerebrovascular expertise.
• 24/7 stroke rapid response team. Our best-in-class, onsite team of vascular neurologists and emergency physicians work together to identify stroke symptoms and quickly initiate treatment.
• Advanced imaging capabilities. Reading Hospital offers 24/7 imaging for stroke care, including computed tomography, computed tomography angiography, computed tomography perfusion, cerebral angiography, and stroke magnetic resonance imaging. We also perform cranial and cardiac ultrasounds, when needed.
• Neuroradiologists. Specialists provide expert interpretation of advanced brain imaging and timely communication to our vascular neurologists to assist with emergent treatment decisions.
• Neurointerventionalists. Using minimally invasive techniques, our 24/7 team quickly removes blood clots from brain vessels and restores blood flow to preserve brain tissue.
• Vascular neurosurgeons. Specializing in treating blood vessel abnormalities of the brain, such as an aneurysm (a bulging in an artery), this team of subspecialized neurosurgeons performs precise procedures to clip or coil the aneurysm to reduce the risk of further bleeding.
• Vascular surgeons. Specializing in treating carotid stenosis with surgical procedures, stenting, and trans-carotid stenting (TCAR).
• Dedicated neuro-intensive care unit. A 24/7, neuro-specialized intensivist service providing advanced multimodality monitoring.
• Neurointensivists. Our experts specialize in acute brain disorders and treat life-threatening medical complications that are impacted by a stroke. These complications can involve the heart, lungs, and kidneys.
• Dedicated stroke unit. Our inpatient stroke unit brings together hospitalists, cardiologists, physical and occupational therapists, speech therapists, specialty trained nurses, and other care providers with experience in stroke care.
• Extensive collaboration with regional first responders. We work with local paramedics and emergency medical technicians to facilitate quick recognition and triage.
• Active in stroke research. We study the effects and care of stroke to help improve outcomes.
• Rigorous data collection, peer review, and performance improvement initiatives.

How Pottstown and Phoenixville Hospitals Achieved PSC Designation

• Medical Director with experience in cerebrovascular disease
• Acute stroke team available 24/7 and at the bedside within 15 minutes
• Designate stroke unit or designated beds for the care of acute stroke patients
• Emergency department collaboration with the initial assessment
• Advanced imaging available 24/7, and cardiac imaging when appropriate
• 24/7 vascular neurology expertise in person or through telemedicine
• Neurosurgical services within two hours of consultation
• Operating rooms available 24/7
• Collaboration with EMS and community outreach