The 10 P’s of Stroke: a Simple Strategy for Understanding Stroke Etiology and Management
1Stroke Program, Department of Neurology, Tulane University School of Medicine, New Orleans, 70112
2Department of Epidemiology, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, 70112
Abstract
The evaluation and management of strokevaries between patients due to differences in individual
physiology and disease progression. The goal of this article is to provide health care professionals with a
comprehensive resource that adequately catalogs the causes and physiological mechanisms of stroke, as well as
diagnostic testing techniques and effective therapeutic interventions relevant to stroke care. This article examines
what we consider at our center to be the core factors in ischemic stroke that areconsidered for each patient to
deliver effective individualized care. These variables form a vital patient profile summarized in a mnemonic
called the “P’s of Stroke”. The “P’s” encompass the influence and significance of cardiac dysfunction (pump),
blood pressure, perfusate, arterial blood flow/vasculature (pipes), cerebralblood flow (plumbing), perfusion,
parenchyma, penumbra, physical rehabilitation and recovery, and prevention with relation to acute ischemic
stroke (AIS) assessment and treatment
