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Doctors work to make life-saving stroke treatment accessible
A study from University of Michigan and the University of Chicago finds that when hospitals don't offer that treatment- and patients need to be transferred. And it's not happening fast enough.
FOX 2 - Here's an alarming stat - when it comes to someone who has had a stroke, every minute that passes without the right treatment 1.9 million neurons die.
The backstory:
Time is brain - it means every second counts to save precious brain function. Now a new study finds some patients don't have access to the help they need.
A stroke blocks off blood supply to the brain - and the damage happens quickly.
"Every minute that passes without acute stroke treatment, 1.9 million neurons die," said Brian Stamm.
About one-third of people who have a stroke, need what's called endovascular therapy. But a new national study finds many end up at hospitals who can't offer that.
"Endovascular therapy is a stroke treatment where a catheter is inserted to remove a large clot from the brain," Stamm said. "It is a game-changer for the field of stroke. It is one of the best treatments in modern medicine. so since the data came out to support this technique, our stroke systems have really been revolutionized."
A study from University of Michigan and the University of Chicago finds that when hospitals don't offer that treatment- and patients need to be transferred. And it's not happening fast enough.
People are forced to wait too long in the emergency department or they're waiting on brain imaging.
"Some ways that we can improve the transfer process are making that first part at the hospital, the patients come to first as efficient as it can be," said Regina Royan. "And that involves recognizing a stroke early, when a patient presents, getting all of the imaging as fast as possible, then arranging transport.
"Whether that's ground transport in an ambulance or air transport in a helicopter, to get that patient as fast as possible to the place where they can get endovascular therapy."
Bottom line, getting to a stroke center should be the goal, and quickly!
This just emphasizes that early treatment can lead to better patient outcomes, and without that early treatment, patients can suffer lasting disability, like being unable to speak or unable to walk."
The research team is part of an ongoing national study sponsored by the national institutes of health to improve the stroke transfer process and ensure more patients receive life-saving treatment.
The Source: Information for this report is from interviews with stroke researchers.