Hoag Comprehensive Stroke Program

1 Hoag Dr, Newport Beach, CA 92663

(949) 764-6066

About
Understanding Strokes
Diagnostics & Treatment
Education & Resources
Meet the Team

Stroke Signs, Symptoms and Risk Factors

What is Stroke?

A stroke is a serious medical emergency that occurs when blood flow to the brain is disrupted or blocked, leading to brain cell damage. Strokes can be caused by a blocked artery (ischemic stroke) or a burst blood vessel (hemorrhagic stroke). Immediate medical attention is crucial to minimize long-term effects and improve recovery outcomes.

Understanding Types of Strokes

Signs & Symptoms of a Stroke

Recognizing the symptoms of a stroke can help save lives. Use the FAST acronym to identify the warning signs:

B – Balance: Sudden loss of balance or dizziness
E – Eyes: Sudden blurred vision or loss of vision
F – Face: Sudden facial droop or uneven smile
A – Arm: Sudden arm weakness or arm numbness
S – Speech: Sudden slurred, sudden difficulty speaking or understanding
T – Time: If you notice these signs, call 911 and get to the hospital immediately.

Other stroke symptoms include sudden confusion, difficulty walking, loss of balance, severe headaches, and vision problems.

Take Action: Stroke Prevention & Early Detection

Preventing a stroke starts with a healthy lifestyle and regular checkups. Reduce your risk by:

Managing high blood pressure, cholesterol, and diabetes.

Adopting a heart-healthy diet and staying physically active.

Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol intake.

Monitoring irregular heart rhythms (atrial fibrillation) that can lead to stroke.

Hoag’s nationally recognized, comprehensive Stroke Program is led by full-time neurohospitalists who specialize in advanced stroke management and intervention, and continue to develop best practice care pathways for optimal outcomes.

Know the Symptoms of Stroke

Recognizing the signs of a stroke can save a life—including your own. Every minute counts, and quick action can make the difference between recovery and lasting disability. Learn how to spot the warning signs with the BE FAST acronym and know when to call 911 immediately.

Learn the signs of BE FAST

Patient Education Workbook

If you or someone you know has had a stroke, we've created a helpful resource to keep you well-informed to make decisions around your health care.

Learn More

What is your risk of having a stroke?

Take our online health risk assessment to discover your risk of having a stroke. After taking this assessment, you'll get more information on what your next steps should be.

Start Stroke Risk Assessment Now

A doctor places her hand on a patient's shoulder

The Stroke Program of Hoag’s Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute

Hoag is an Orange County Emergency Medical Services designated Stroke Neurology Receiving Center (SNRC) and one of the busiest stroke centers in Orange County, with over a thousand cases each year. Our Newport Beach hospital has been designated as a DNV Certified Comprehensive Stroke Center, with our Irvine hospital designated as a DNV Certified Primary Stroke Center. We utilize the latest technologies, comprehensive stroke experts, and an experienced support team for rapid diagnosis and stroke rescue. We have documented top-tier outcomes for stroke patients. We have benchmarked our outcomes against other comprehensive stroke centers and abide by the Get With the Guidelines standards from the American Heart Association. Recognized by U.S. News & World Report as high performing for Neurology & Neurosurgery in 2025-2026 as well as a High Performing Hospital in Stroke.

A patient is about to have their brain scanned

Certified Stroke Center

The DNV Comprehensive Stroke Center Certification is given to esteemed hospitals that have specific abilities to receive and treat the most complex stroke cases from the initial and rapid diagnosis, advanced and state-of-the-art treatment, comprehensive rehabilitation program and community wide stroke education.

Stroke Care Excellence

Hoag is consistently ranked among the best hospitals in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, which rated Hoag’s stroke services as high performing. The departments of Neurology and Neurosurgery are among the hospital’s many nationally top-ranked specialties. Hoag Hospital Newport Beach was certified as a Primary Stroke Center in January 2009 and then certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by DNV Healthcare USA, Inc. in October 2016.

From Rapid Response to Rehabilitation

At Hoag, stroke care begins the moment you arrive. Every patient who comes through our Emergency Department is placed on our Stroke Protocol, which ensures rapid assessment, lab testing, and brain imaging within 20 minutes. This fast response helps guide the best possible treatment right away. Our dedicated Stroke Team includes highly trained nurses, nurse navigators, and psychological counselors who provide both medical expertise and emotional support for patients and families. Beyond emergency care, Hoag offers post-acute rehabilitation with nurses and therapists experienced in stroke recovery, helping patients regain independence and quality of life. Our specialists meet every month in a multidisciplinary case conference where physicians, nurses, and care teams review cases and share the latest advancements. This ongoing commitment to collaboration and innovation is one reason why Hoag’s stroke outcomes are consistently recognized as among the best in the nation.

“It was phenomenal; everyone was so warm and expeditious. They were candid that there was a risk to my baby, but calmly and consistently reassured me that they were doing everything they could to ensure a positive outcome.”
Read Sonia's Story

Helpful Articles

Link

A stroke survivor reflects on the lifesaving care he received at Hoag

Article

Hoag Recognized as 2025 Top Hospitals for Patient Experience by Healthgrades

May 14, 2025
2 min read

Link

Hoag Recognized for Commitment to High-Quality Stroke Care

Article

Stroke: Minimizing Risks and Understanding Warning Signs

May 2, 2025
4 min read

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Diagnosing and Treating Stroke

When you have a stroke, every minute counts

Hoag’s Stroke Program offers a comprehensive, rapid response approach to stroke care. With an expert stroke team, cutting-edge diagnostics, and advanced imaging technologies, Hoag ensures precise diagnosis and timely treatment, significantly improving patient outcomes.

Endovascular Intervention

As a leader in acute stroke care, Hoag provides a full range of minimally invasive endovascular techniques for both the prevention and treatment of stroke. Early detection of stroke risk includes the use of ultrasound to look for silent blockage in the arteries leading to the brain.

Carotid stenting is a preventive procedure for certain high-risk patients with such blockages, where post balloon angioplasty, a sleeve made of fine metal mesh, or stent, is fitted inside the newly opened carotid artery in order to hold the artery open and restore blood flow to the brain.

Hoag also specializes in preventive treatment of potentially explosive weak spots in the arteries of the brain. Such weak spots, or aneurysms, can be found on CT or MRI scans. Endovascular coiling or injection of other substances may be a treatment option for patients with hemorrhagic stroke—the type of stroke caused by bleeding in the brain either due to an aneurysm or other blood vessel malformations.

Innovative Ischemic Stroke Treatment

More than 80% of all acute strokes are caused by blood clots. One treatment option for stroke is Tenecteplase (TKNase), a medication that helps dissolve blood clots. To be effective, TNKase must be administered within 4.5 hours from the onset of symptoms or Last Known well time. That’s why it’s so important for individuals to seek immediate emergency treatment at the first sign of stroke.

For strokes caused by an occlusion in the large arteries in the brain, thrombectomy of the clot can be performed up to 24 hours from when the patient was Last Seen Normal (without stroke symptoms) if the patient meets criteria for this.

Mechanical clot retrieval devices include stent retrievers and suction devices.

Armed with these devices and an extended treatment window, Hoag Hospital neuro interventionalists are successfully helping a broadened patient population to improve neurologic recovery and reduce the incidence of disability resulting from acute ischemic stroke.

Comprehensive Stroke Treatment & Recovery

Hoag’s Stroke Program provides cutting-edge care to help patients recover and regain independence. A key to recovering from a stroke is early physical, occupational, speech, and cognitive rehabilitation. Our services include:

Emergency Stroke Treatment: Rapid response care, including clot-busting medications (thrombolytics) and surgical interventions. Hoag utilizes their Interventional Neuroradiology team to remove blood clots that cause stroke.
Stroke Rehabilitation at Hoag’s Family Fudge Acute Rehabilitation Center: For those patients who need additional physical and occupational therapy for stroke recovery after their stay in the hospital, patients can be referred to our Family Fudge Acute Rehabilitation Center. Personalized therapy programs, including physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy, will be implemented to improve mobility and communication.
Advanced Neurological Care: Specialists in stroke neurology provide long-term management and secondary stroke prevention.
Lifestyle & Preventative Care: Education on stroke risk factors, including high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, and high cholesterol, to prevent future strokes.

Why Choose Hoag’s Stroke Program?

Rapid Response Stroke Team:

Includes ER physicians, neurologists, neurosurgeons, neuroradiologists, critical care physicians, and specialty-trained nurses.
On-site neurology hospitalists and interventional neuroradiologists provide specialized care.

Advanced Diagnostic & Treatment Techniques:

Fast evaluation and treatment using leading-edge technology.
Early intervention improves survival rates and reduces permanent damage and disability.

State-of-the-Art Imaging Technology:

Multi-detector 64-slice CT and 3Tesla MRI scanners for high-resolution brain imaging.
Angiography & ultrasound detect blocked vessels and affected brain areas.
Sophisticated brain imaging provides real-time insights into brain structures and blood flow.

Hoag's Stroke Care Awards

Hoag has been awarded the Stroke Gold PLUS Performance Achievement Award by the American Stroke Association for over a decade running. In addition, Hoag achieved the Target Stroke Honor Roll Elite Award and the Target Stroke Honor Roll Advanced Therapy Award by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. This award recognizes the accomplishment of Door to Device Times of 90 minutes or less in 50% or more of all thrombectomy cases.

Get With the Guidelines by the American Heart Association is an in-hospital program for improving stroke care. With seven Get With the Guidelines achievement measures, these awards recognize those hospitals that meet at least 85% compliance. Gold designation recognizes performance and compliance for 24 consecutive months or more. Learn more at Heart.org

Know Your Risk

Hoag Support Groups

Stroke Hybrid Support Group

This group offers support for stroke survivors, caregivers, family members, and friends. Virtual meetings are held via Zoom on the 4th Thursday of every month from 2:00 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. For more information call (949) 764-3623

To register and get a link to the meetings visit: Stroke Virtual Support Group Registration

Brain Aneurysm & AVM Virtual Support Group

This group is for Brain Aneurysm & AVM Survivors, those diagnosed but not yet ready for treatment, and immediate family members or caregivers.

Virtual meetings are held via Zoom on the 2nd Wednesday of every other month from 6:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. For more information call (949) 764-3628

To register and get a link to the meetings visit Brain Aneurysm & AVM Virtual Support Group Registration

Click To View Stroke Workbook here

Local & National Oragnizations

In addition, the following organizations are provided as resources and are not associated with Hoag Memorial Hospital Presbyterian or Hoag Neurosciences Institute.