Acute ischemic stroke is a major cause of mortality and morbidity in the United States and worldwide. Despite the development of specialized stroke centers, mortality and morbidity as a result of acute ischemic strokes can and do happen anywhere. These strokes are emergency situations requiring immediate intervention. This article covers the fundamentals of care involved in treating patients with acute ischemic stroke, including essentials for the initial evaluation, basic neuroimaging, reperfusion therapies, critical care management, and palliative care, as well as current controversies. National guidelines and current research are presented, along with recommendations for implementation.

Among our cohort with acute poststroke aphasia, the PACSLAC-II was not able to overall differentiate patients experiencing experimental mechanical pain, although differences in those experiencing the strongest pain stimulus were significant. The detection of pain-specific facial activation and negative valence in the placebo group indicates that pain and distress are unmet needs among stroke patients who are unable to verbally communicate.