Dean & St. Mary's Stroke Center provides the full range of services designed to improve outcomes for patients and families who are experiencing, or have experienced, a stroke. A dedicated center provides an approach to rapid assessment, diagnostic evaluation, acute management, and rehabilitative efforts to meet the needs of every patient who comes to us for care. In October 2007, Dean & St. Mary's Stroke Center became the first certified Primary Stroke Center in south-central Wisconsin, dedicated to improving clinical outcomes for patients receiving specialized stroke care. An even higher level of expertise was acknowledged in 2010 when The Joint Commission awarded its two-year recertification, congratulating the center on enhanced interventional radiology capabilities, including the new MERCI Retriever System for extracting blood clots from the brain of patients experiencing a certain type of stroke.

Stroke Prevention and Education

Know the Signs of Stroke Sudden numbness, weakness of the face, arm or leg Confusion, trouble speaking or understanding Vision changes in one or both eyes Difficulty walking, dizziness or loss of coordination Severe headache with no known cause    American Stroke Association

The Stroke Center provides a stroke prevention program for the community which includes education about the signs and symptoms of stroke, risk factors associated with stroke, and initiatives to provide primary and secondary prevention of stroke.

Emergency Medical Services (EMS)
St. Mary's Hospital partners with the Dane County EMS to facilitate the accurate and rapid recognition of patients with acute stroke symptoms and to promote rapid transport of patients to the emergency department. 

Emergency Stroke Treatment
Because the first three hours after the start of stroke symptoms are critically important, St. Mary's emergency department staff are skilled at immediately determining the best treatment plan by rapid diagnosis and treatment for patients who suffer a stroke 24 hours a day, 7 days a week using diagnostic services, including CT (computed tomography) scans, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), as well as providing state of the art care with clot-busting medication.

Acute Stroke Treatment
When patients have suffered a stroke, specialized care continues in our Neuroscience Intermediate Care unit or our Neuroscience Intensive Care unit. Nurses in these units have expertise in neurological assessments and provide comprehensive care and education to patient’s and their families.

Stroke Rehabilitation
Stroke Rehabilitation begins early in the patient's recovery. A dedicated rehabilitation team consists of physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists and social workers. Each patient’s rehabilitation plan is individualized to help patients and their families achieve the best possible outcome and quality of life.

According to the American Stroke Association, about 700,000 Americans per year suffer a new or recurrent stroke, and strokes are the No. 3 cause of death behind diseases of the heart and cancer. When a stroke occurs, it is critical to identify the symptoms and get treatment as quickly as possible to improve the chances of recovery.