Ascension Saint Thomas

Advanced stroke care in Tulsa

Doctors and care teams at Ascension St. John in Tulsa, Oklahoma, deliver emergency stroke treatments and rehabilitation therapies for your recovery.
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If you or a loved one is experiencing symptoms of a stroke — every second counts. Signs of a stroke include sudden loss of balance, lost or unclear vision, face drooping or uneven smile, arm weakness and difficulty speaking. Our Comprehensive Stroke Center and emergency rooms in Tulsa, Oklahoma, provide advanced stroke care 24/7. The neurologists and neurosurgeons specialize in treating stroke and transient ischemic attacks (TIA). We quickly work together to help improve blood flow to the brain, stop a brain bleed, and help prevent future strokes.

By answering these questions, you can start to better understand your risk:
  • Are you over 65?
  • Do you have a family history of stroke?
  • Do you smoke?
  • Have you had a prior stroke or heart attack?
  • Do you have high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, heart disease, peripheral artery disease, AFib, heart valve disease or sickle cell anemia?
If you answered "yes" to any of these questions, it may be important for you to talk to your primary care doctor about your risk for stroke.

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Comprehensive Stroke Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma

Ascension St. John Heyman Stroke Center is certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by The Joint Commission*. As a Comprehensive Stroke Center, we meet strict guidelines for quality, safety and education to help identify stroke and quickly provide care. Each year, our care team completes stroke education and consistently meets standards set by The Joint Commission.

Joint Commission National Quality Approval Gold Seal

Ascension St. John Medical Center has received the American Heart Association’s Get with Guidelines - Stroke GOLD PLUS with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy award. The quality achievement award recognizes the commitment to ensuring stroke patients receive the most appropriate treatment according to nationally recognized, research-based guidelines, ultimately leading to more lives saved and reduced disability. We are the only hospital in the state to earn the Advanced Therapy distinction. The Ascension St. John medical center also received the Target distinctions in: Stroke, Type 2 Diabetes award. These Honor Roll Awards aim to ensure that patients with these conditions receive the most up-to-date treatment and therapies by meeting specific criteria from the time of arrival to receiving care.

American Heart Association’s Get with Guidelines - Stroke GOLD PLUS with Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus, Advanced Therapy award

Specialized stroke recovery and rehabilitation services

Care teams at Ascension St. John specialize in stroke care and recovery. We listen to understand you and your health. Then your team of neurologists, neurosurgeons, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists and speech therapists work with you to create a care plan that's right for you. Many of our therapists specialize in neurorehabilitation for stroke, with a focus on rebuilding your brain to body connection. Our rehabilitation care team provides daily therapies and monitors your progress to help you meet your goals.

Your care doesn't stop when you leave the hospital. We offer a stroke survivor and caregiver support group. And we provide transitional care in your home, an outpatient stroke rehabilitation center or skilled nursing facility. Our goal is to improve your quality of life after a stroke by assisting in functional recovery.

Frequently asked questions about stroke

How do I know if I'm having a stroke?

Stroke symptoms can come on suddenly. Call 911 and go to the nearest ER if you experience any of these stroke symptoms:

  • Balance: sudden onset of dizziness or balance issues
  • Eyes: double vision or loss of vision
  • Face: asymmetrical weakness or drooping on one side of face
  • Arm: one sided arm or leg weakness
  • Speech: Listen for slurred speech
  • Time: call 911 immediately

What is a stroke?

A stroke occurs when there is a disruption in the blood supply to the brain. This disruption can come from a blocked blood vessel in the brain or a blood vessel that ruptures and bleeds into the brain. When you are experiencing a stroke — every second counts. Call 911 and go to the nearest ER.

What should I do if I think someone else is having a stroke?

If you think someone is having a stroke, ask them to repeat a sentence back to you, smile at you, and raise both arms. If they have trouble with any of these tasks, call 911 right away. Stay with the person and note the time they began to have symptoms. This information can help the emergency room care team.

What is a mini-stroke, also called a transient ischemic attack (TIA)?

When someone experiences stroke symptoms that go away in a short period of time (typically less than an hour), it may be considered a TIA (transient ischemic attack.) When blood flow to the brain is interrupted for a short period (usually less than five minutes), it may be a sign of a future stroke. TIA is an emergency like stroke. If you experience signs of a stroke or TIA, don't wait to see if the symptoms go away. Call 911 and go to the nearest ER.

How is stroke treated?

The sooner you get to the ER, the more options there may be for treatment. Medications and minimally invasive stroke interventions help remove clots and dissolve blockages to restore blood flow to the brain for ischemic (non-bleeding) strokes. For certain hemorrhagic strokes (bleeding strokes), endovascular procedures are used to repair the blood vessel. Your doctors, nurses, and rehabilitation therapists help you recover after a stroke and help prevent a future stroke.

Ascension St. John community reports

The Ascension St. John Heyman Stroke Center has chosen to publicly report data submitted to The Joint Commission and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.

  • IV thrombolytic (clot busting medication) treatment: Median time in minutes Goal < 45 minutes

    The faster stroke is treated, the more likely the patient is to recover. In fact, stroke patients who are treated with the clot-busting medication within 90 minutes of their first symptoms were almost three times more likely to recover with little or no disability. The thing to remember is that stroke is largely treatable. It’s a matter of getting the right treatment, right away.

    • Ascension St. John Comprehensive Stroke Center: 33.5 minutes 
  • Emergent Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke Mechanical Thrombectomy Post-Treatment Reperfusion

    In some cases a minimally invasive mechanical thrombectomy procedure is recommended to remove the clot in the brain that is causing the stroke. At Ascension St. John, 3 out of 4 patients who are eligible for this procedure have successful return of blood flow to the brain. 

    • Ascension St. John Comprehensive Stroke Center: 77% 
  • Diagnostic cerebral angiogram 24-hour stroke and death Goal < 1%

    Cerebral angiogram is a diagnostic test to evaluate the blood vessels in the head or neck to assess for blockages or abnormalities. This minimally invasive procedure helps to diagnose and determine the best treatment for certain patients with stroke and other cerebrovascular disease.  

     

    • Ascension St. John Comprehensive Stroke Center: 2/235 = 0.85% (Goal < 1%)
  • Carotid Procedure 30 day stroke and death rate

    Carotid procedures are done to open severely narrowed arteries and restore blood flow to the brain. These procedures are often performed to treat or prevent strokes.

    • Ascension St. John Comprehensive Stroke Center
      • Asymptomatic 
        • 0/23 = 0% (Goal: <3%)
      • Symptomatic - prior neurological event 
        • 3/61 = 4.9% (Goal: <6%) 
     


If you or a loved one are experiencing warning signs of a stroke — sudden loss of balance, lost or unclear vision, face drooping or uneven smile, arm weakness and speech difficulty — every second counts. Call 911 and go to the nearest ER.

*The Joint Commission is an independent accrediting organization. This accrediting body sets standards in healthcare to improve healthcare quality and safety. This recognition reflects our experience and advanced care to help improve stroke recovery outcomes.

Bringing the best of our integrated national network of care, close to home

When you choose Ascension St. John, you will find a team of doctors who specialize in neurological disorders that affect your brain, spine and nerves.