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Course Information

Overview

More than 795,000 strokes occur each year in the US, either new or recurrent, and they cause significant morbidity and mortality.

Approximately 1 of every 20 deaths is caused by stroke, making it the fifth leading cause of death in this country, after heart attack, cancer, respiratory disease, and injuries.

Stroke is preventable on many levels, both medical and lifestyle. Given the significant morbidity and mortality associated with acute stroke and the growing number of stroke survivors, education aimed at improving the knowledge and competence of practitioners to assess, diagnose, and treat this disorder in a timely manner has the potential to substantially improve outcomes in this large patient population.

Target Audience

This educational activity is intended for neurologists, emergency medicine physicians, neurosurgeons, primary care physicians, residents, fellows, nurse practitioners, nurses, physician assistants, speech therapists, physical therapists, occupational therapists and allied health professionals.

Learning Objectives

After completing this educational activity, participants will be able to do the following:

  • Cite the evidence supporting cholesterol management as a preventive measure after stroke and review the drug selection process.
  • Select the most appropriate antithrombotic therapy based on their pharmacologic profiles, benefits, and risks in individual patients.
  • Review the causes, diagnosis, and treatment of cerebral venous thrombosis as well as prevention and follow-up measures.
  • Describe the role of inflammation in the pathogenesis of stroke and its potential role as a therapeutic target.
  • Summarize components of appropriate stroke rehabilitation and interdisciplinary discharge planning and describe their impact on stroke survivor outcomes.
  • Recognize the signs and symptoms of optic nerve damage associated with occlusion and describe appropriate treatment protocols.
  • Critically review the evidence supporting brain rewiring techniques and describe their implications for clinical practice.
  • Describe how to recognize, diagnose, and treat acute stroke cases in the emergency department