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Beginning at 7AM Monday, Oct. 5, the west side of the Parkview Place intersection at Lakeland Hills Boulevard will be closed for about 3 weeks. Traffic can enter Parkview Place from U.S. 98/North Florida Avenue or by following the detour.
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Comprehensive Stroke Center

Patients and their loved ones in Polk County and surrounding areas benefit from Lakeland Regional Health’s lifesaving complex stroke and neurological care.

What is Stroke Care?

Our stroke care experts aim to reduce brain injury and help patients recover so they can live their lives fully.

Types of Strokes

  1. Ischemic Stroke (Clots): This happens when a blood vessel to the brain gets blocked. It makes up 87% of strokes.

  2. Hemorrhagic Stroke (Bleeding): This occurs when a weak blood vessel bursts, often due to high blood pressure.

  3. Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA): This is a temporary blockage and is a warning sign for a stroke.

Treatment of Stroke

  1. Thrombolytic medication (TNK): A drug that helps reduce blockage within a blood vessel

  2. Thrombectomy: The clot removal to restore blood flow to the injured area of the brain

Dedicated to Excellence

Lakeland Regional Health’s Stroke Center has earned The Joint Commission’s Gold Seal of Approval® Accreditation and the American Stroke Association and the American Association’s Heart-Check® Mark for Comprehensive Stroke Certification by demonstrating continuous compliance with performance standards. 

The Gold Seal is a symbol of quality that reflects a healthcare organization’s commitment to providing safe and quality patient care.

Our Certifications

Our Stroke Center certifications recognize the significant difference in resources, staff, and training necessary for the treatment of complex stroke cases. To earn these certifications, Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center was required to meet rigorous standards, such as:

  • Physicians and other specialists trained in vascular (blood vessel), neurology (dealing with conditions within the nervous system), neurosurgery (brain or spinal surgery), and endovascular (inside the blood vessels) treatments.
  • Experience and knowledge in treating patients with complex types of stroke
  • Dedicated neurointensive care unit for complex stroke patients
  • Participation in stroke research

The Stroke Center at Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center is also recognized by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association for our quality of care (Get With the Guidelines Target Stroke Honor Roll Gold Plus award).

LRH Exceeds National Benchmarks

Overall Compliance with American Heart Associations Get With the Guidelines - Stroke

Above 85%

Carotid Endarterectomy

  • National Average: 87.9%
  • Lakeland Regional Health – In 2023 over 90% of all carotid endarterectomy patients went home following their procedure. This shows our dedication to quality care truly leads to better outcomes.

Administration of Thrombolytics

    • Primary Goal: Achieve door-to-needle times within 60 minutes in 75 percent or more of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with IV tenecteplase (TNK).
    • Secondary Goal: Achieve door-to-needle times within 45 minutes in 50 percent or more of acute ischemic stroke patients treated with IV tenecteplase (TNK).
  • Lakeland Regional Health – Averages 41 minutes.

Know the Facts, Know the Signs, Know the Risks

Stroke Facts from the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association:

  • Stroke is the No. 5 cause of death in the United States.
  • A stroke kills someone in the U.S. about once every 4 minutes.
  • African Americans have nearly 2x the risk for a first-ever stroke, and a much higher death rate from stroke.
  • Stroke causes 1 of every 20 deaths in the U.S.
  • Stroke is the leading preventable cause of disability.

The good news is that as people become more informed about the warning signs of stroke and as stroke care has advanced, patient outcomes have improved.

Warning Signs of Stroke:

  • Sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm, or leg, especially on one side of the body.
  • Sudden confusion, trouble speaking, or understanding.
  • Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes.
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination.
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause.

Remember BE FAST:

  • B = Balance – Does the person have a sudden loss of balance
  • E = Eyes – Has the person lost vision?
  • F = Face Drooping – Does one side of the face droop or is it numb? Ask the person to smile. Is the person’s smile uneven?
  • A = Arm Weakness – Is one arm weak or numb? Ask the person to raise both arms. Does one arm drift downward?
  • S = Speech Difficulty – Is speech slurred?
  • T = Time to call 911 – Stroke is an emergency. Every minute counts. Call 911 immediately. Note the time when any of the symptoms first appear.

Risk Factors for Stroke:

  • High Blood Pressure
  • Diabetes
  • High Cholesterol
  • Atrial Fibrillation (an irregular heart rhythm)
  • TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks)
  • Carotid Disease (narrowing of the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the brain)
  • Smoking
  • Excessive Alcohol Intake
  • Obesity

Knowing the warning signs of a stroke can lead to earlier treatment.

Recovery from a Stroke

We treat strokes depending on the type. The Comprehensive Stroke Center at LRH also provides advanced medical services to aid in recovery from stroke. Rehabilitation starts soon after diagnosis and can continue in the Bannasch Institute for Advanced Rehabilitative Medicine* and through our outpatient rehabilitative services.

We are dedicated to getting our patients home and onto the road to recovery sooner. In fact, in 2023 over 90% of all carotid endarterectomy patients (a surgical procedure to remove a build-up of fatty deposits (plaque), which cause narrowing of a carotid artery) went home following their procedure. This shows our dedication to quality care truly leads to better outcomes.

Interventional Radiology Program

Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center has highly trained neurosurgeons and interventional radiologists. They use technological resources and work with gifted surgical teams to deliver the best outcomes and safest care to our patients and families. 

Neurosurgeons specialize in the diagnosis and surgical treatment of disorders of the central and peripheral nervous system. Our fellowship-trained neurosurgeons perform a wide array of lifesaving procedures, such as stroke, brain tumors, cerebral aneurysms, and other conditions of the central nervous system.

Interventional radiologists are specialists who use imaging tools to see into the body and guide their procedures.

Biplanar Neurointerventional Suite

Lakeland Regional Health Medical Center is home to the County’s only Biplanar Neurointerventional Suite. This suite gives our fellowship-trained neurosurgeons the advanced technology necessary to perform lifesaving procedures. Previously only available outside Polk County, these advancements at our hospital substantially reduced the time to treatment for patients experiencing medical emergencies.

With the addition of our Biplanar NeuroInterventional Suite, our surgeons have additional resources to ensure optimum outcomes, as patients treated using Biplanar technology are likely to experience shorter recovery times, less pain, and fewer complications. 

Did you know acute stroke patients found to be candidates for treatment are treated on average within 2 hours of arrival at Lakeland Regional Health decreasing the likelihood of long-term disability?

Epilepsy Monitoring Unit

Seizures may be the result of a stroke. We are here to ensure you receive the advanced care you need. That is why we offer the only Epilepsy Monitoring Unit in Polk County.

Epilepsy is a seizure disorder and can occur after a brain injury or stroke. The Lakeland Epilepsy Center (LEC) is designed for adult patients with epilepsy or related seizure disorders and offers phase 1 pre-surgical workups. The LEC offers an Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU) where physicians can monitor patients before, during, and after a seizure to better understand the type of seizure activity and to find the optimal treatment. 

Learn more about our EMU, here.

Support for Families and Patients

Stroke Survivor and Caregiver Support Group

Days of Support Group: Third Thursday of every month
Class Duration: 11:30am to 1:00pm
Location: Held in person at LRHMC

Please note: A light lunch will be provided to participants. 

Sign up today: Visit our support group page to view upcoming dates and sign-up →

Registration is not required for this free program. For eligible patients.