Stroke Data Facts 

PIH Health Whittier Hospital

Acute Stroke Discharge:
Where did they go?

Key Discharge Facts:

  • Almost half (47%) acute stroke patients at PIH Health Whittier Hospital go home
  • About a quarter of patients (25%) go for acute rehabilitation either in a rigorous rehabilitation specific facility or a skilled nursing facility with a gentler pace of acute rehabilitation
  • After stabilization of their acute stroke, under 10% are transferred. This can happen for a variety of reasons such as insurance.
  • We treat the most critical and complex stroke patients because we are a Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center. PIH Health Whittier Hospital actively aids our nearby community hospitals who are unable to care for these critical and complex stroke patients by providing 24/7 access through our Stroke/Neuro Physician Hotline. This Stroke/Neuro Physician Hotline consist of a dynamic stroke team and ambulance standing by to seamlessly transfer patients into PIH Health Whittier Hospital.

The American Heart and Stroke Association in their 2022 Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics Update Fact Sheet At-a-Glance stated “In 2019, stroke accounted for approximately 1 of every 19 deaths in the United States.” Stroke is still the number 5 all causes of death in the United States as of 2019.

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Acute Stroke Patients by Age
What is your risk?

Key Age Facts:

  • Almost half of stroke patients (47%) at PIH Health Whittier Hospital are between 65 and 85 years’ old
  • The median age over all is 72 with the youngest patient being in their early 20’s years.

Acute Stroke Patient Risk Factors
Which factors do you have?

Key Risk Factor Facts:

PREVENT a Stroke!

  • Many health conditions/risk factors can be modified or controlled with close monitoring by your primary care provider. This can greatly decrease your chances of having a stroke as well as decrease the chances of having a heart attack.
  • What is your risk? Take the Stroke Quiz and find out!

  

Carotid Endarterectomy (CEA)/Carotid Artery Stenting (CAS)

The carotid arteries are the main blood vessels that send blood and oxygen to the brain. These are procedures to treat carotid artery disease that can arise from blood vessel becoming smaller due to build-up of fatty deposits, calcium, or other cell deposits. If a vessel becomes too small, or narrow, can completely be blocked and cause a stroke. The goal in CEA and CAS treatment is to prevent or lower the risk of a stroke. At PIH Health Whittier Hospital there have been no major complications or death after CEA or CAS procedures as of 2022.

Acute Ischemic Stroke

Ischemic Stroke, which is a clot that blocks blood flow to the brain, accounts for 81% of all acute stroke patients that arrived to PIH Health Whittier Hospital so far this year. The updated Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2022 Update: A Report From the American Heart Association states of all strokes, 87% are ischemic with the remaining 13% being split between the two types of brain bleeds.

Hospital Arrival to "Clot Busting" Medication
under 45 minutes

Thrombolytic is a “clot busting” medication given during an ischemic stroke when certain requirements are met. It works by dissolving the clot that was blocking the blood vessel. To work best, thrombolytics should be given as quickly as possible. The current national goal is under 60 minutes per the American Heart and Stroke Association.

Successful* Mechanical Thrombectomy 

Mechanical Thrombectomy involves placing a tube into a large blood vessel near the groin. The tube travels to the site of blood vessel blockage in the brain, and the blockage (usually a blood clot) is physically removed to restore blood flow to the brain. PIH Health Whittier Hospital annually does over 100 mechanical thrombectomies!

*Success is defined by a grade given on how open the brain artery is after the removal of the clot.