Brain Hemorrhage

A brain hemorrhage is a type of stroke that occurs when a weakened blood vessel in the brain leaks blood and damages brain cells. Known as hemorrhagic strokes, they account for about 13% of all stroke cases.

Bleeding in the brain (also known as intracerebral hemorrhage) can irritate brain tissue, causing swelling (cerebral edema). As blood builds up and compresses the surrounding brain tissue, it can form a mass known as a hematoma. The resulting pressure on surrounding brain tissue reduces blood flow and kills brain cells.

Not all brain hemorrhages occur inside the brain. They can develop between the brain and the membranes covering it (subarachnoid hemorrhage), between layers of the brain’s covering (subdural hemorrhage), or between the skull and the brain (epidural hemorrhage).

Causes and symptoms

Brain hemorrhages can be caused by many things, including trauma, uncontrolled high blood pressure, a condition called arteriovenous malformation, and weak spots in blood vessel walls caused by an aneurysm. An aneurysm is an abnormal swelling or a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel.

Symptoms of a brain hemorrhage can include:

Sudden headache
Nausea and vomiting
Seizures
Confusion
Weakness, numbness, and/or paralysis
Loss of speech and/or vision

What sets UAB Medicine apart

UAB was the first hospital in Alabama to be certified as a Comprehensive Stroke Center by the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and The Joint Commission, a nonprofit national agency that measures the quality of health care. This designation recognizes hospitals that maintain the staff, training, and technology to treat patients with the most complex strokes, at any time of day or night.

UAB treats more than 1,800 strokes each year, the most serious within our dedicated Neurosciences intensive Care Unit and Stroke Unit. U.S. News & World Report consistently ranks UAB Neurology and Neurosurgery among the top programs of their kind in the nation, in part due to the following factors:

Stroke care at UAB is delivered by a large team of expert stroke physicians who are on duty 24/7.
UAB has more board-certified vascular neurologists, neurointensivists, endovascular neurosurgeons, and vascular neurosurgeons than any other hospital in Alabama, plus 350 nurses with special training in stroke care.
Our 36-bed Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit is among the largest in the United States.
Because UAB is a major center for stroke research, patients may have access to clinical trials of promising new stroke treatments not available at other medical centers.

Stroke care at UAB Medicine

When a person arrives at the UAB Hospital Emergency Department with a stroke, a “Code Stroke” is activated. A rapid response team evaluates the patient to ensure that we provide the most appropriate care in the shortest time possible. Our advanced treatments include the clot-busting medication alteplase and catheter-based procedures, such as thrombectomy, aspiration, and stenting. Some of our resources and technologies are only available at UAB.

After admission and initial management, patients with stroke are further evaluated in our dedicated Stroke Unit, which is staffed by specialized nurses, physicians, and rehabilitation therapists. One of their goals is to determine the underlying cause of the stroke.

When it’s time to begin the recovery process, UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center provides complete rehabilitation programs that are customized to each patient. UAB created a Stroke Recovery Clinic to help survivors recover faster and with fewer long-term effects. One of only a few clinics of its type in the country, the Stroke Recovery Clinic combines speech, occupational, and physical therapy with neuropsychology care and assistance from social workers.

UAB strives to provide the highest quality of care that is backed by the latest research. This report features data on key performance measures that reflect our commitment to excellence in stroke care.