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Primary Stroke Team

Catawba Valley Medical Center Stroke Care

Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Stroke Center is a recipient of the Women Certified – Women’s Choice Award for America’s Best Stroke Center (2019-2023) identifying it as one of the nation’s best hospitals based on robust criteria that includes relevant clinical performance, patient satisfaction and appropriate accreditations. The award is built on high patient ratings for recommending the hospital to others and on meeting – or exceeding – national benchmarks in clinical measures.

The first hour after stroke symptoms manifest is referred to as the “golden hour” because the treatment a stroke victim receives within 60 minutes can make a critical difference in the outcome of the event. A stroke is the result of a bloodclot formed in the brain. The faster your medical provider can breakup that bloodclot, the better the patient’s chances are at recovering. Patients arriving at a hospital within the golden hour of a stroke have a much better chance of receiving a critical clot busting agent known as tissue plasminogen activators (tPA).

Every hospital needs to be ready to act fast when a patient arrives with stroke symptoms. Catawba Valley Medical Center’s Primary Stroke Team is well-trained and prepared to quickly administer treatments. After the initial event, we assist patients with further recovery with the assistance of our:

  • Stroke program coordinator
  • Physical therapist
  • Occupational therapist
  • Speech-language pathologist
  • Rehabilitation patient care coordinator
  • Pharmacist
  • EMS Staff
  • Performance Improvement crew
  • Patient care managers
  • Clinical development coordinators
Diagnostic Stroke Services

Leading Stroke Diagnostic Technology

CVMC offers access to leading stroke diagnostic technology and medical professionals as well as a broad array of diagnostic stroke services including:

Excellence in Stroke Clinical Patient Care Diagnostic Services 24 Hour Availability

  • CT/CTA
  • MRI/MRA/MR Perfusion
  • EMS Collaboration
  • Cardiac MRI
  • Echocardiography (TTE w/ Bubble Study and TEE)
  • Carotid Doppler
  • Clinical Lab
  • ECG
  • Angiography

Telestroke Network Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center

  • 24/7 access to real-time virtual Neurology Consultation at the bedside
  • Improved quality and access to stroke expertise & advance therapies for patients in rural, outlying communities like Catawba Valley
  • Better transfer processes for those requiring advanced medical services

Digital Swallowing Workstation

  • Expanded swallowing evaluation and treatment services in stroke patients
  • Enhanced patient and caregiver education regarding dysphagia
  • Board Recognized Specialist in Swallowing and Swallowing Disorders

Emergency Medical Services Collaboration

  • Stroke patient Follow-up provided to EMS
  • CVMC provides Blood tubes for EMS field staff to draw blood for Code Stroke Patients
  • Representative from Catawba County EMS participates in CVMC’s quarterly Stroke Quality Improvement Committee Meeting
Primary Stroke Team

CVMC’s Primary Stroke Team consists of a Physical Therapist, Occupational Therapist, Speech-Language Pathologist, Rehabilitation Patient Care Coordinator, Pharmacist, EMS Staff, Performance Improvement, Patient Care Managers, Stroke Program Coordinator, and Clinical Development Coordinators, as well as the Medical Director for Stroke and the Emergency Department Medical Director.

Catawba Valley Health System

Exceptional Careers for Exceptional People

Explore More

Our aim is to provide exceptional healthcare services delivered by a compassionate team committed to enhancing the overall well-being of the community we serve. See below for our full list of Services.

828.326.3000


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