Unique team specializes in urgent care for mini-strokes

A unique team of stroke specialists at Sunnybrook have been leading an aggressive approach to diagnosing and treating ‘mini-strokes' before they lead to potentially devastating larger strokes that can leave people with paralysis and other permanent disability.

Sunnybrook's Scotiabank Rapid Investigation and Stroke Prevention Program featuring the Dr. Thomas and Harriet Black High-Risk TIA Unit is one of only a few clinics of its kind in the country specializing in urgent care for high-risk transient ischemic attacks (TIA) or so called ‘mini-strokes'.

Mini-strokes are important to recognize because they can be critical warning events of an impending serious stroke that could happen within days or weeks. Treatments applied rapidly after a TIA can reduce the risk of a major stroke by as much as 80 per cent.

"We have found a solution to bypass the standard wait-times and provide high risk patients with ‘same-day diagnosis and treatment'," says Dr. David Gladstone, director of the clinic.

By providing fast-track consultation with stroke specialists, state-of-the-art neurovascular diagnostic tests, and initiation of a personalized treatment plan, the Sunnybrook clinic aims to prevent more strokes, avoid hospital admissions, and condense months of patient tests and appointments into a single day.