What is a hemorrhagic stroke?
A. A hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel in the brain leaks or ruptures and blood spills into the surrounding brain tissue, thereby preventing needed oxygen from reaching the brain. The most common form of hemorrhagic stroke, known as a subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH), occurs when an aneurysm that has weakened over time balloons and suddenly bursts, forcing blood into the area surrounding the brain (subarachnoid space). Each year, more than 30,000 Americans have a SAH and, of those, 30 percent die before reaching medical facilities. Another form of hemorrhagic stroke is intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), which occurs when a vascular lesion forms on a blood vessel. The brain tissue is usually damaged by the initial bleed and brain cells receive secondary injury as blood flow remains irregular and ischemia sets in.
