• Edward C Jauch, Christine Holmstedt, and Justin Nolte.
• Division of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, USA. Jauch@musc.edu
• Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci. 2012 Sep 1; 1268: 57-62.

AbstractThe past 15 years have witnessed significant strides in the management of acute stroke. The most significant advance, reperfusion therapy, has changed relatively little, but the integrated healthcare systems-stroke systems-established to effectively and safely administer stroke treatments have evolved greatly. Driving change is the understanding that "time is brain." Data are compelling that the likelihood of improvement is directly tied to time of reperfusion. Regional stroke systems of care ensure patients arrive at the most appropriate stroke-capable hospital in which intrahospital systems have been created to process the potential stroke patient as quickly as possible. The hospital-based systems are comprised of prehospital care providers, emergency department physicians and nurses, stroke team members, and critical ancillary services such as neuroimaging and laboratory. Given their complexity, these systems of care require maintenance. Through teamwork and ownership of the process, more patients will be saved from potential death and long-term disability.© 2012 New York Academy of Sciences.

39 keywords...

hide…