Hospital tests

The hospital medical team carries out tests to find out where the stroke is, how serious it is and what caused it (a bleed into the brain or a blood clot). This is called an assessment.

It’s important that these tests happen as soon as possible, whether the person is seen as an outpatient or goes into hospital. The quicker someone who has had a stroke is diagnosed and treated, the better chance they have of recovering. A treatment called thrombolysis may be given for some strokes, but to be effective this must happen within three hours of the stroke and it is only available in a few hospitals.

Blood pressure
High blood pressure (hypertension) is the most common cause of a stroke. A person’s blood pressure will be checked immediately and medication given if needed to help stabilise it in the early stages after a stroke.

ECG (Electrocardiogram)
This tests for unusual heart rhythms. One type of irregular heart rhythm, atrial fibrillation, is a risk factor for stroke.



Blood tests
Tests on blood samples can check for:

• cholesterol levels;
• clotting
• blood sugar.

These can help explain why someone has had a stroke. Examining blood samples can also help tell if other parts of the body, like the liver and kidneys, are healthy and that any drug treatment after the stroke doesn’t cause harmful side effects.



Brain scans
A brain scan should be carried out within 24 hours after the stroke.

• A CT or CAT scan (computerised axial tomography) is a form of x-ray of the brain. The doctor may inject dye into the patient’s veins before scanning to see the results more clearly.
• MRI scans (magnetic resonance imaging) are taken in a large tunnel-shaped scanner that uses waves to produce very detailed pictures of the brain.

Links
A stroke is a brain injury
Swallow test
Heart and blood vessel tests
Going into hospital
Rehabilitation
From hospital to home

back to top|