Stroke Care
Award-winning, high-quality Stroke Care - when it counts.
The best treatment for strokes is early detection. Call 911 immediately if you notice stroke symptoms in yourself or someone else.
Every minute is crucial, with this team bringing the most current, evidence-based therapies to the bedside.
UNM has earned the Stroke Accreditation from the Joint Commission, an independent, evidence-based standards-setting organization that sets the benchmark for safe, high-quality patient care through healthcare accreditation. This accomplishment formally recognizes UNM’s ongoing commitment to meeting rigorous performance standards and delivering the safest, highest-quality care to its patients.
And care reaches every corner of New Mexico
The UNM Hospital Stroke Team serves all of New Mexico, which is a predominantly rural state. UNM Hospital is the hub of a statewide tele-stroke network that supports many of the rural hospitals across New Mexico, places that otherwise have no neurology expertise on hand, or stroke expertise. When a patient arrives at a rural New Mexico hospital, the local ER team can reach a stroke neurologist within minutes. The UNM Hospital Stroke Team sees the patient and their imaging in real time and guides treatment from there.
This remote expertise allows many patients to be treated where they are. For those who need advanced surgical care, the team can rapidly transfer them from a rural hospital directly to a UNM Hospital operating room.
Make an Appointment
To make an appointment, ask your neurologist or doctor to call 505-272-3160 for a referral or
Understanding Stroke
A stroke is a medical emergency — but it is also one of the most treatable conditions in medicine when recognized quickly. Whether you or a loved one has recently had a stroke, received a diagnosis of a cerebrovascular condition, or simply want to learn more, this page explains what stroke is, how to recognize it, and what causes different types of stroke.
What Is a Stroke?
A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly disrupted. The brain needs a constant flow of blood to deliver oxygen and nutrients to its cells. When that flow is cut off — even for just a few minutes — brain cells begin to die. This is why strokes are sometimes called 'brain attacks,' a term that captures the urgency of the situation in the same way we think of a heart attack.
Every minute without treatment, approximately 1.9 million neurons are lost. That is why the phrase 'time is brain' is at the core of everything we do at the UNMH Stroke Program. Fast recognition and fast treatment save lives and preserve function.
The effects of a stroke depend on where in the brain the damage occurs and how much tissue is affected. Stroke can cause weakness or paralysis on one side of the body, difficulty speaking or understanding speech, vision changes, severe headache, balance problems, or changes in memory and thinking. Some people recover fully; others face lasting challenges that require rehabilitation.
Stroke in New Mexico
Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of long-term disability. In New Mexico, stroke disproportionately affects Hispanic and Native American communities. UNMH's Comprehensive Stroke Center is committed to providing world-class stroke care to every New Mexican.
Symptoms and How to Recognize a Stroke: BE-FAST
The most important thing you can do during a stroke — for yourself or someone nearby — is recognize it immediately and call 911. Do not drive to the hospital yourself; emergency medical teams can begin evaluation and alert the hospital before you arrive, saving critical minutes.
Use the BE-FAST method to identify the warning signs of stroke:
Also Watch For
Other symptoms that can indicate stroke: sudden severe headache with no known cause (often described as 'the worst headache of my life'), sudden confusion or trouble thinking, and unexplained nausea or vomiting with other neurological symptoms. When in doubt, call 911.
Stroke symptoms appear suddenly — they do not build up gradually over days or weeks. If symptoms appear and then go away on their own within minutes or hours, this may be a transient ischemic attack (TIA), sometimes called a 'mini-stroke.' A TIA is a serious warning sign and requires immediate medical evaluation. Do not wait to see if symptoms return.
TIA Warning
One in three people who have a TIA will have a full stroke within a year — and the risk is highest in the first 48 hours. Emergent evaluation of a TIA is equally critical to control the risk of stroke and disability.
UNM Hospital Award-Winning Stroke Center- by the numbers
Here is how our team performed in 2025
Quick Treatment (Clot-Busting Medication)- DTN (Door-to-Needle): Time from arrival to getting the clot-busting drug. When a stroke is caused by a clot, we use a powerful medicine called TNK. Our goal is to get it to the patient as fast as possible. Our Median Speed: 40 minutes from arrival.
- Top Performance: 97% of our patients receive this medication within an hour of arriving, and 70% receive it in under 30 minutes.
Advanced Procedures (Thrombectomy)
For the most severe strokes, our surgeons physically remove the clot.
- DTG (Door-to-Groin): 63 mins, which is the time from arrival to the start of a surgical clot removal. It refers to mechanical thrombectomy—a procedure where a neurosurgeon makes a small puncture (usually in the groin) to thread a catheter up to the brain and physically pull out a blood clot causing an ischemic stroke.
- High Volume, High Expertise: We perform 150 of these life-saving procedures a year and care for over 800 stroke patients annually.
- Fast Results: In 83% of cases, we successfully restore blood flow to the brain in under two hours from the moment the patient hits our doors.
Real Results for Real People
Statistics matter, but recovery matters more.
- Successful Outcomes: Nearly half (47%) of our complex stroke patients return to functional independence within 90 days of treatment.
- Precision: Our surgeons achieve "excellent" blood flow restoration (TICI 2b/3) in over 80% of procedures.
- TICI 2b/3: The "gold standard" for successfully opening a blocked artery.
Award-Winning Care
Besides UNM Hospital earning New Mexico’s only Comprehensive Stroke Center Designation from The Joint Commission, UNM Health has earned the Gold Plus get-with-the-guidelines certification. We are recognized on the national Stroke Honor Roll Elite for our speed and advanced therapy, as well as for our specialized care for patients with Type 2 Diabetes.
