Trident Health System
January 03, 2023

PHOTO: Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist Kayla Greene, DPT facilitates the stroke support group

More Tri-County Stroke Patients Treated at Trident Health Than Any Other Lowcountry Healthcare Provider

Charleston, SC –  Stroke survivors and their caregivers in the Lowcountry will have a new option to attend a stroke support group at Trident Medical Center. The support group will meet from 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm the first Wednesday of each month in the hospital’s cafeteria. The group will be led by Certified Stroke Rehabilitation Specialist Kayla Greene, DPT, CSRS. Registration is requested and can be done by calling (843) 797-3463 or online at www.tridenthealthsystem.com/calendar.

“Stroke survivors often face many challenges when they return home, such as learning how to live with limitations on speaking, eating, walking, lifting, and battling depression, for example,” said Greene. “Our new stroke support group will help stroke survivors and their families connect with other survivors and community resources.”

Greene added, “ Our stroke support group was started at the request of survivors and their caregivers who wanted to join a community of people with shared experiences.”

Recently, Healthgrades announced Trident Medical Center, and its sister hospital Summerville Medical Center, earned designation as Top 100 hospitals in the nation for stroke care. The award places the hospitals among the top 2% of the nearly 4,500 hospitals reviewed by Healthgrades.

Neurosurgeon Douglas Stofko, DO, Trident Neurosurgical Specialists, says cutting-edge technology, like that found in Trident Medical Center’s Neuroendovascular Lab, gives patients better opportunities to survive a stroke compared to a decade ago. “The imaging technology and devices we have to remove blood clots in the brain allow my partner, Sharon Webb, MD, and I to find the cause of the stroke faster and we’re able to remove the clot quicker than ever before. These are great patient benefits.”

In 2019 Trident Medical Center became the first hospital in South Carolina to earn Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (TSC) certification from The Joint Commission, in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA). The certification signifies the hospital meets rigorous standards for performing mechanical endovascular thrombectomy (EVT), a specialized surgical procedure used to remove a blood clot from the brain during an ischemic stroke.

Dr. Webb explained, “Strokes are one of the most devastating medical events, especially if patients don’t receive the correct medical care quickly.” The Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center certification is evidence of Trident’s ability to treat ischemic strokes and give our patients the best opportunity for survival when they are treated quickly.”

Stroke Facts:

  • Stroke kills about 140,000 Americans each year—that’s 1 out of every 20 deaths.
  • Someone in the United States has a stroke every 40 seconds. Every 4 minutes, someone dies of stroke.
  • Every year, more than 795,000 people in the United States have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes.
  • About 185,000 strokes—nearly 1 of 4—are in people who have had a previous stroke.
  • About 87% of all strokes are ischemic strokes, in which blood flow to the brain is blocked.
  • Stroke costs the United States an estimated $34 billion each year. This total includes the cost of health care services, medicines to treat stroke, and missed days of work.
  • Stroke is a leading cause of serious long-term disability. Stroke reduces mobility in more than half of stroke survivors age 65 and over.

Stroke Statistics by Race and Ethnicity

  • Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death for Americans, but the risk of having a stroke varies with race and ethnicity.
  • Risk of having a first stroke is nearly twice as high for blacks as for whites, and blacks have the highest rate of death due to stroke.
  • Though stroke death rates have declined for decades among all race/ethnicities, Hispanics have seen an increase in death rates since 2013.

Stroke Risk Varies by Age

  • Stroke risk increases with age, but strokes can—and do—occur at any age.
  • In 2009, 34% of people hospitalized for stroke were less than 65 years old.

Early Action Is Important for Stroke

  • Know the warning signs and symptoms of stroke so that you can act fast if you or someone you know might be having a stroke. The chances of survival are greater when emergency treatment begins quickly.
  • In one survey, most respondents—93%—recognized sudden numbness on one side as a symptom of stroke. Only 38% were aware of all major symptoms and knew to call 9-1-1 when someone was having a stroke.
  • Patients who arrive at the emergency room within 3 hours of their first symptoms often have less disability 3 months after a stroke than those who received delayed care.

Americans at Risk for Stroke