UPMC Stroke Institute

The UPMC Stroke Institute

Stroke is the leading cause of adult disability and the third-leading cause of death in the United States.

Treatment must start within three hours of stroke symptoms. For every hour's delay in medical treatment, the brain loses 120 million cells.

Experts at the UPMC Stroke Institute are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at the certified Primary Stroke Center locations:

• UPMC Presbyterian
• UPMC Mercy
• UPMC Shadyside

Our multidisciplinary team uses advanced therapies to treat stroke, and helps patients recover physical and cognitive function.

Why Choose UPMC's Stroke Institute for Treatment?

• The Stroke Institute is a leading provider of high quality medical and surgical stroke treatment.
• UPMC neurologists and neurosurgeons are among the national leaders in stroke therapy and can offer UPMC patients advanced or investigational stroke therapies not available at other stroke treatment centers.
• Our stroke experts see more than 1,000 patients each year, and provide consultation for hundreds of others through the UPMC Stroke Telemedicine Program.

About the Stroke Institute

The institute focuses on:

• Quality patient care: employing a multidisciplinary approach
• Clinical research: flourishing clinical research programs
• Educational efforts: ongoing education for health professionals and community

Emergency Stroke Care

Dr. Lawrence Wechsler discusses the symptoms you shouldn’t ignore and why it is so important to seek immediate medical care if you experience them. Watch the video.>

Additional stroke videos:

• What are the risk factors for stroke and how can I reduce them?
• What treatments are available for stroke?

The Warning Signs of Stroke

• One-sided weakness
• Numbness of face, arm, or leg
• Slurred or garbled speech
• Difficulty talking to or understanding others
• Loss of vision in one eye
• Difficulty in seeing on one side of the body
• Double vision
• Difficulty with balance or coordination of arms or legs
• Severe headache ("the worst headache of your life")