Stroke & heart emergency care

Our emergency services — including a specialized stroke team — are here 24 hours a day. A neurologist and other experts will act immediately to evaluate and treat you. Our outpatient and in-hospital rehabilitation for heart and stroke patients and other services are also here to help.

Both Elkhart General Hospital and Memorial Hospital of South Bend have advanced stroke certifications by The Joint Commission. This means that patients can expect the highest quality stroke care possible in an environment that’s uniquely developed to care for the urgent needs of people experiencing a stroke.

Our hospitals are equipped with transmission technologies that receive real-time patient data from emergency medical service (EMS) providers en-route to the hospital. This helps us prepare for patients with serious illnesses and injuries before you arrive.

Memorial Hospital’s Memorial Leighton Trauma Center is the region’s only verified Level II Trauma Center. It works with MedFlight, the only medical flight service in Michiana. Memorial Hospital is also certified as an Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.

From offering assistance to locate a primary physician, coordinating outpatient services or follow-up care or connecting with community resources, our medical teams work to connect patients with care beyond the ER.

Conditions and treatments

Diagnosis

Tests can detect both heart disease and stroke risk. These can include:

• Carotid Ultrasound
• CT scan
• CTA
• MRI
• MRA
• Echocardiogram
• Electrocardiogram

Treatments

Thrombolytic medicines

Tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, works by dissolving blood clots and improving blood flow to the part of the brain being deprived of blood flow.

Mechanical thrombectomy

In January of 2018, the American Stroke Association changed their recommendations. Now, some patients can have a mechanical thrombectomy procedure up to 24 hours from onset of stroke symptoms. In 2019, Memorial Hospital earned certification as an Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center from The Joint Commission; and achieved recognition in award of Get With The Guidelines® Stroke GOLD PLUS by The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. Memorial is the first hospital in the state of Indiana to earn this certification, and it is among only 37 in the country to be recognized as an Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center by The Joint Commission.

View Mechanical Thrombectomy Reported Outcomes (PDF)

Endovascular neurocoiling

Endovascular neurocoiling is a minimally invasive technique to treat brain aneurysms. During an endovascular neurocoiling procedure, a catheter is passed through the groin up into the artery containing the aneurysm. Platinum coils are then released. The coils induce clotting of the aneurysm, preventing blood from getting into it.

This minimally invasive procedure is on the forefront of innovative stroke care and has been a part of Beacon Health System since 2013. With specially trained physicians and state-of-the-art hybrid operating rooms, you can rest assured that you or your loved one is receiving the highest quality of patient-centered care.

Craniotomy

Brain surgery can sometimes be used in certain individuals who have suffered a stroke to decompress brain swelling, relieve hematomas, or help manage potential complications of a stroke.