UT Southwestern is a regional referral center for cerebrovascular disorders and an Advanced Comprehensive Stroke Center, which means we offer the highest level of care available. Our long history of cerebrovascular expertise has allowed us to introduce new treatments to patients from across the country through innovative research and groundbreaking techniques.
Stroke is just a way for blood not to get to a part of the brain. There's a whole bunch of different diseases that we can treat at UT Southwestern to prevent stroke from happening or to prevent the side effects of further strokes, and that's really what a cerebrovascular disease program is. At our cerebrovascular disease and stroke program, we treat ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and various rare cerebrovascular diseases. Because of our large volume of cases, we developed an expertise that cannot be seen elsewhere, and because of that, our patients have improved outcomes. Care that you get is evidence-based, state of the art. Every individual patient gets an individualized treatment plan and multidisciplinary care with the goal of the best possible outcomes. Our stroke center comprises of a 24 bed neuro ICU. We have 24 hour angiography. We also have an integrated outpatient ambulatory clinic for both neurosurgical and vascular neurology patients, as well as a physical medicine rehabilitation component as well. We care for patients from the front door all the way until they're back and integrated into the community. When they first get admitted, they will go to the neurology service or the neurosurgery service based on their clinical finding as well as imaging, then they will undergo further workup to determine the cause of the stroke and what we can do to prevent further complication from occurring. We talk a lot about the patient experience at UC Southwestern and our patient journey really starts with letting the patient know that they're going to be OK. Our cerebrovascular and stroke team members include a vast array of neurosurgeons, neurointerventionalists, neurologists, advanced practice providers, and nursing staff. We also have a large research component where we can bring the cutting edge technologies and medicines to our patients. It's important to understand that when you're trying to get to a place to care for a stroke, that you have choices. Comprehensive stroke centers can do everything necessary to take care of a stroke, from giving a clot busting medication to removing a clot to stabilizing a patient who's had a brain hemorrhage. UT Southwestern is one of the comprehensive stroke centers that's at an advanced level in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. You're part of the UT Southwestern system where you have access to a whole host of sub-specialties in really integrated care with our rehabilitation physicians. We're able to have direct communication with each other to really give you a holistic care. We work with physical therapists, the occupational therapist, and the speech therapist to help prevent complication that patient may sustain early on in their stroke. With the goal of trying to reach the best possible outcome and function. When I see my patients, the best day is when someone tells me that they are back to do what they like to do. They're able to play with their grandkids, or as simple as getting up on their feet and walking. UT Southwestern started as a place where we were very inquisitive about diseases, the ability for multiple types of doctors to focus on what's the best way to take care of the disease, but also how you recover and then how you go home. That's what we want is you to be diagnosed, to be treated, and then to head home and spend quality life.
