The Australian and New Zealand Clinical Guidelines for Stroke Management are living guidelines, updated as new evidence emerges

A stroke is the interruption of blood supply to part of the brain, resulting in acquired brain injury. This disruption deprives the affected area of the brain from the nutrients and oxygen it needs to survive, resulting in cell death. The main types of stroke are ischaemic and haemorrhagic.

Antiplatelet drugs, antihypertensive drugs and statins all have a role in secondary stroke prevention.

A transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is essentially a minor stroke that often lasts for a short duration of time. It is caused by a temporary blockage of the blood supply to the brain, starving it of oxygen and nutrients. A TIA can be a warning that a full-blown stroke is imminent.

Surviving and recovering from a stroke is reliant on rapid recognition and treatment, as there is only a narrow window of time during which interventions will work effectively. Despite this, data from 2015 found that only 34% of stroke patients presented to hospital within three hours of onset.

Authors' conclusions:  From the available evidence, acupuncture may have beneficial effects on improving dependency, global neurological deficiency, and some specific neurological impairments for people with stroke in the convalescent stage, with no obvious serious adverse events

Authors' conclusions:  There is insufficient evidence to reach conclusions about the effectiveness of interventions for patients with eye movement disorders after stroke

Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standard - Infographic Downloads Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standard - Infographic For more information Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standard Publication year 2015 Resource type Poster or graphic Topics Clinical Care Standards Health conditions, diseases and treatments

Why do we need the Acute Stroke Clinical Care Standard? Stroke is a serious medical emergency, and timely treatment is critical. With the right treatment at the right time, many people are able to recover from stoke.

Authors' conclusions:  This review highlights the dearth of evidence investigating long-term therapy-based rehabilitation interventions for patients with stroke