Intensive Care

Treating an acute stroke does not end once a clot has been dissolved or a hemorrhage stopped. The care following the emergency intervention is critical to a patient's recovery. In the hours and days following the emergency care, the Torrance Memorial Stroke team continues their multidisciplinary approach to ensure that the brain is given the chance to recover, that the parts of the brain unaffected by the stroke are not damaged, and that complications are prevented.

Patients may be sent from the Emergency Department to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) or the Progressive Care Unit (PCU) to be closely monitored and to receive ongoing treatment.

The PCU 6 is a specialized stroke unit at Torrance Memorial. All of the nurses in the ICU and the PCU 6 have been extensively trained to identify and care for stroke patients. Called "Nurse Champions" our stroke nurses work throughout the hospital, and are involved from the moment the patient arrives in the emergency room, to their care in the ICU and PCU 6, as well as their follow-up care and rehabilitation.