Duke Stroke Centers

Whether you are cared for at Duke University Hospital, Duke Regional Hospital, or Duke Raleigh Hospital, we have the resources and teams to provide comprehensive stroke care from diagnosis through treatment and to help you recover and rehabilitate.

Emergency Medicine

Thrombolytics -- drugs that dissolve clots to restore blood flow to your brain -- are the first line of treatment when ischemic stroke occurs.

Endovascular Surgery

You may need surgery to repair blood vessels that were damaged by a stroke. This type of surgery can also unclog blocked blood vessels. Skilled neurosurgeons and radiologists work through a small incision. The doctor is guided by X-ray to repair any damage. Tiny tools are placed inside the blood vessel using long flexible tubing. This tubing is called a catheter

Thrombectomy

Skilled neurosurgeons and radiologists place a catheter in a blood vessel in the groin. The catheter travels to the clot holding a stent that looks like a tiny spring from an ink pen. The stent holds the clot until the catheter is taken out.

Medication

Given before and after stroke to prevent clotting and narrowing of the arteries.

Stroke Risk-Factor Management

Medically supervised exercise programs, nutrition and weight loss counseling, and high blood-pressure management are available to help you manage your risk factors for stroke. Our goal is to reduce your chances of having a stroke or heart attack and improve your overall health.

Duke's Telestroke Network

Duke’s Telestroke Network gives patients and doctors at five NC and VA hospitals access to Duke stroke specialists 24/7. Patients at Duke Telestroke Network hospitals get the immediate care they need and, when necessary, are transferred faster to hospitals providing advanced procedures, which can make a life-or-death difference.

Duke provides a wealth of resources to help you recover and rehabilitate after your stroke.

Inpatient and Outpatient Rehabilitation

We work with you to identify the causes of your stroke, help your stroke recovery, and begin secondary stroke prevention. We arrange rehabilitation and therapy services with our wide network of outpatient specialists and on an inpatient basis at the Duke Rehabilitation Institute.

Stroke Survivor Support Group

Our stroke survivor support group meets the second Monday of every month from 1:00 to 2:30 at Duke Regional Hospital. The meeting is open to all survivors as well as their friends and family. Please call 919-660-0096 if you have questions or need more information, including directions. 

Mental Health Clinic

For patients and caregivers who need additional support to cope with the emotional challenges that can occur after a stroke.

Respite Care

Temporary relief for families of patients with special needs can be found through the Caregivers Support Center and Durham Center for Senior Life.

Patient Education

We sponsor a variety of stroke-education and screening events. Public-awareness events for stroke prevention take place throughout the year. 

Communication and Swallow Therapy

Because stroke can affect both communication and swallowing, our speech-language pathologists will work with you in the hospital to help with immediate communication and swallowing needs. Whether you have aphasia or other cognitive-communicative impairments, we will provide ways for you to communicate with your medical team and your family. We can also help you transition to life with changed communication after you go home. We assess your swallowing abilities in the hospital and provide ongoing therapy and recommendations to make eating and drinking safer and easier.

Designated Stroke Center
A designated stroke center meets national stroke-care standards set by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) and is accredited by the Joint Commission. Designated stroke centers follow the groups’ recommendations and guidelines and have established ways to measure improvements in stroke care and patient outcomes. There are different levels of stroke center designations.

Duke University Hospital Is a Comprehensive Stroke Center
A comprehensive stroke center is the highest level of stroke certification. Our stroke center provides the full spectrum of stroke care, from fast diagnosis and treatment to stroke rehabilitation and patient support and education. Our skilled staff and resources are ready at all times to administer complex stroke treatments. 

Duke Raleigh Hospital Is a Certified Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center
Our stroke specialists care for all strokes using medical therapy, minimally invasive techniques, and advanced surgical procedures such as thrombectomy -- a clot-retrieval procedure performed by highly-skilled neurosurgeons that open the blockage caused by the stroke. Duke Raleigh Hospital received Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center advanced certification from The Joint Commission, an independent, accrediting organization recognized for its quality standards in health care. This advanced certification recognizes hospitals that meet rigorous standards for performing thrombectomy and providing support to patients following the procedure.

High-Quality Care Results from Ongoing Research
As national leaders in stroke research, our stroke specialists help to write the national guidelines for stroke prevention and treatment. We participate in studies and clinical trials that give you access to the latest treatments available. Ongoing trials include studies on the genetics of vascular disease, as well as on new approaches to stroke prevention, stroke treatment, and ways to enhance post-stroke recovery.

Fast, Advanced Imaging IDs Thrombectomy Patients
Our doctors use advanced imaging with CT and MRI. This helps them decide who will benefit from a thrombectomy. More people recover with the help of advanced imaging and therapies.

Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus Award
All three Duke hospitals were awarded the 2018 American Heart Association/American Stroke Association Get with the Guidelines Gold Plus award. It recognizes our stroke centers' ongoing commitment to improving patient care and patient outcomes. In addition, these honors recognize how quickly clot-busting therapy is started in patients at Duke hospitals.

• Duke University Hospital
• Duke Raleigh Hospital
• Duke Regional Hospital

Duke Hospitals Identify and Treat Stroke Faster than NC Hospitals on Average
The AHA/ASA publish guidelines on how fast a stroke should be diagnosed and treated once stroke symptoms occur. Prompt treatment influences whether stroke patients can return home or to a rehabilitation facility following discharge. According to 2016 data, Duke hospitals consistently perform better than North Carolina hospitals on average.

Fast Diagnosis Prevents Death and Disability
A stroke occurs when the brain no longer gets oxygen because its blood supply is blocked. Diagnosing the type and location of that blockage helps prevent death and permanent disability. According to AHA/ASA guidelines, brain imaging should be performed and results obtained within 45 minutes of a stroke patient entering a North Carolina hospital. Duke Hospitals achieve this goal faster than other North Carolina hospitals.

Fast Administration of Clot-Busting Medication
AHA/ASA guidelines suggest the clot-busting medication tPA be administered for ischemic strokes within three hours of the start of stroke symptoms. Duke hospitals consistently perform better than the North Carolina average.

Minimize Negative Effects, Return to Daily Activities
The goal of fast stroke treatment is to minimize negative effects, including permanent disabilities, and return you to your daily activities. Duke hospitals consistently perform better than North Carolina hospitals.

Review 2017 stroke-care quality data for Duke Health hospitals.