Stroke
Samaritan Stroke Services has the knowledge and experience you need when suffering a stroke. Our team of specialists includes emergency room doctors, neurologists, nurses, speech language specialists and many others who worketogether to stop and reverse the damaging effects of a stroke.
A stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted and cannot supply oxygen-rich blood to the brain. Brain tissue dies without oxygen and blood flow must be restored. The only drug approved by the FDA, known as the "clot-buster," must be given within three hours from when the stroke first started.
A stroke can occur in two ways. In an ischemic stroke, a blood clot blocks or plugs a blood vessel or artery in the brain. About 85 percent of all stroked are ischemic. In a hemorrhagic stroke, a blood vessel in the brain breaks and bleeds into the brain. About 15 percent of strokes are hemorrhagic.
Non-modifiable risk factors
- Previous heart attack
- Age
- Gender
- Race
- Family history
Modifiable risk factors
- High blood pressure
- High cholesterol levels
- Heart disease (especially atrial fibrillation)
- Diabetes
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Metabolic Syndrome
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Previous stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) - warning stroke
We are proud to provide outstanding health care to our Oregon communities including Albany, Corvallis, Eugene, Lebanon, Lincoln City, Newport, Salem and neighboring areas.
Every minute counts when someone is having a stroke. Learn how to recognize the symptoms and what you can do to improve the chances for a successful recovery.
F - facial droop, numbness, vision problems or changes
A - arm (or leg) feels weak or different, trouble walking, dizzy, change in balance and coordination
S - speech, words garbled, confusion
T - time, call 911 immediately
- Each year 795,000 people in the U.S. will have a stroke
- Every 40 seconds someone will have a stroke
- Every three minutes someone dies from a stroke -- it's the third leading cause of death
- Close to 46,000 more women than men will have a stroke
- Twice as many women die from strokes as from breast cancer every year
- 30 to 50 percent of stroke survivors do not regain functional independence
(541) 768-6737
Featured Articles
View AllGood Samaritan Regional Medical Center recently earned Primary Stroke Center certification from DNV
Read MoreEvery second counts when it comes to a stroke. Knowing what causes a stroke, what you can do to prevent one and what to do if you suspect a stroke could save a life.
Read MoreI was recently reminded by a colleague at Good Samaritan that December 19 marks 20 years since we performed our first cardiac catheterization at the hospital. It was 1991, and we’d just opened the first cath lab in Corvallis.
Read MoreIn 1999, Scio resident Wayne Laird got some shocking news at a routine physical. At age 45, he had been feeling weaker than usual and experienced some numbness in his arm, but when his physician told him he needed heart surgery, he was in disbelief.
Read More