At Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, we work alongside Miami Neuroscience Institute neurology specialists, who are leaders in providing fast and effective care for stroke patients. Together, we maintain one of the most active stroke programs in the region, caring for more than 1,000 patients every year.
Led by our colleagues at Miami Neuroscience Institute, we help care for patients who have suffered a stroke or brain aneurysm. Our collaborative team provides comprehensive stroke treatment and includes expertise in interventional neuroradiology, neuroendovascular surgery and neurovascular diseases.
When a stroke patient enters our care, we strive to find effective treatment as quickly as possible, with the average patient going from the emergency room to endovascular treatment in under 90 minutes.
Which strokes or stroke-related conditions are treated at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute?
We assist neurology teams with providing quick and effective treatment for ischemic stroke and hemorrhagic stroke. Our vascular specialists are also skilled in treating brain aneurysms, which can lead to hemorrhagic stroke.
How do Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute experts diagnose strokes?
If you are experiencing symptoms of a stroke, our neurology and emergency room teams will use advanced imaging technology to scan you as quickly as possible to determine the cause and location of the stroke.
Our team will use computerized tomography angiography (CTA) and magnetic resonance angiography (MRA) tests to look at the blood vessels. These non-invasive tests can quickly and accurately show where there may be a blockage or an aneurysm. This allows the neurology and emergency room teams to determine the most effective and fastest treatment option.
How is stroke treated at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute?
Our goal is to treat every stroke quickly and effectively, so we can reduce the chance of lasting side effects or brain damage.
If you’ve been diagnosed with an ischemic stroke in the emergency room, our neurology and emergency room teams will deliver a clot-busting medicine as quickly as possible. This medicine, known as tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), is usually administered within 30 minutes of emergency room arrival.
If your neurology team determines you need additional endovascular treatment to remove blood clots or plaque from arteries, they will notify specialists at Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute. Working together with neurologists, our vascular experts can deliver those critical treatments within 90 minutes of emergency room arrival.
We also work closely with Miami Neuroscience Institute specialists to treat brain aneurysms to prevent hemorrhagic stroke, or brain bleed. We use the latest treatment techniques and devices, including coiling. Our specialists also use flow diverters and the intrasaccular flow disrupter, or “The Web,” delivered through blood vessels, to prevent blood flow to the aneurysm, reducing its chance for rupture.
Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute Aneurysm Program
Our Approach
When you come to Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute for treatment of a stroke, you can expect:
- Compassionate care from a team that will treat you like a family member.
- A team that values the opinion and needs of caregivers and patients — we consider patients as partners in their treatment decisions.
- Collaboration between our specialists and the neurology experts at Miami Neuroscience Institute, with the goal of providing fast, effective treatment that prevents long-term complications.
Don't Die of Doubt
At Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, we know that nationally, the number of patients seeking care for cardiac conditions and other emergencies dropped significantly during the pandemic. As part of our partnership with the American Heart Association (AHA), the Institute is locally sponsoring the “Don’t Die of Doubt” campaign, which emphasizes the importance of seeking emergency care if you or a loved one is experiencing heart attack or stroke symptoms.
“I’m forever grateful to Dr. Linfante and Dr. Siomin and the entire team at Baptist Health,” Mr. Hall says. “The care I received there was top-notch, and if not for them, I wouldn’t be here talking with you today.”
Meet The Team
Frequently Asked Questions
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Neurologists from the Miami Neuroscience Institute help provide any emergency treatment, such as tPA, and are the backbone of your care after a stroke. If you need endovascular treatment or surgery, our vascular experts will work hand-in-hand with the neurologists to find the most effective treatment for you.
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At Miami Cardiac & Vascular Institute, we understand that every second matters in stroke treatment. Working together with specialists at Miami Neuroscience Institute, in the last few years we’ve been able to triple the number of patients who are able to be independent after their stroke. Now, more than half of our stroke patients recover to lead independent lives.