A stroke is a medical emergency that can happen to anyone at any age. If you believe you or a loved one may be having a stroke, call 911 to get to the hospital as quickly as possible. Some stroke treatments are time dependent, and emergency medical response (EMS) teams are equipped to rapidly and safely transport you to the appropriate Emergency Department by ambulance, improving patient outcomes.
Emergency stroke care at Grand River Hospital
People coming to the Emergency Department for a suspected stroke need to be assessed right away. Your healthcare team will conduct all necessary assessments, like brain imaging and bloods test, to determine your diagnosis and the type(s) of stroke treatment you may need.
Grand River Hospital is the District Stroke Centre for Waterloo-Wellington. It is also one of two local hospitals that has the ability to provide patients with Tenecteplase (tNK), a medication that dissolves blood clots, and assess their eligibility for a blood clot removal surgery called an endovascular thrombectomy (EVT). Patients who require this type of surgery will be transferred to Hamilton Health Sciences’ Hamilton General Hospital for further assessment and surgery.
Following treatment in the Emergency Department, patients who do not need to go to Hamilton Health Sciences for EVT may be transferred to the Acute Inpatient Stroke Unit for further testing and treatment. Patients who have experienced a minor stroke or transient ischemic attack (a brief stroke-like attack where symptoms resolve within 24 hours) may be discharged home from the Emergency Department with a referral to the Secondary Stroke Prevention Clinic as an outpatient.