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Stormont-Vail HealthCare Is Joint Commission Certified Primary Stroke Center

A Primary Stroke Center is typically part of a hospital where an extensively trained group of physicians and clinicians work together to diagnose and treat the symptoms of a stroke. In July 2010, Stormont-Vail HealthCare became the regional choice for stroke care. The Joint Commission awards certification to centers that make exceptional efforts to foster better outcomes for stroke care.

Stroke Treatment
Stroke is the nation’s third leading cause of death. Each year about 700,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. On average, someone suffers a stroke every 45 seconds and someone dies of a stroke every 3.1 minutes.  Patients who arrive at the Stormont-Vail Emergency Department have access to a stroke unit where a team of exceptionally trained physicians has access to the most advanced medical technology that can dissolve or remove blood clots in the brain.

Why is Stormont-Vail the premiere hospital for stroke treatment in northeast Kansas? The answer is in the patient outcomes that are tracked.

  • Stormont-Vail provides better results when compared to hospitals that treat stroke patients in medical intensive care units, or through a “mobile in-hospital stroke team.”
  • Patients treated in stroke units have a higher survival rate related to stroke, and higher probability of living independently one year after the stroke.

The Primary Stroke Center at Stormont-Vail HealthCare follows the acute stroke treatment guidelines established by the Brain Attack Coalition (BAC). To obtain Primary Stroke Center status with the Joint Commission, a facility must follow a long list of recommendations. Here are a few of the guidelines specified by the BAC:

  • A CT scan or MRI scanner must be available 24 hours per day and must be available to stroke patients within 25 minutes from the physician orders for a CT scan.
  • Neurosurgical services must be available around-the-clock.
  • A physician must obtain lab tests for acute stroke patients within a 45-minute time limit of request.
  • A physician must be available to read CT or MRI scans within 20 minutes of being requested.
  • The Emergency Department must have a written t-PA protocol established and followed.
  • An acute stroke team, including a physician and at least one other health care professional, must be available around-the-clock.
  • Long-term stroke treatment outcomes must be followed and quality improvements must be identified.
  • The hospital must have a designated “stroke unit.”
  • The hospital must provide formal stroke training for ambulance personnel.

To read more about the Brain Attack Coalition visit this website. 

Stroke is an Emergency – Call 9-1-1
Everyone experiences symptoms of a stroke differently. However, if you notice any of these symptoms below, do not hesitate to call 9-1-1 immediately. The time it takes to begin treatment is critically important to your recovery.

Stroke symptoms may include:

  • Sudden weakness or numbness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body.
  • Sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding.
  • Sudden problems seeing in one or both eyes.
  • Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination
  • Sudden severe headache with no known cause.
  • Sudden, severe headaches with no other known cause.

Less common stroke symptoms may include:

  • Sudden nausea, vomiting or fever not related to a viral illness.
  • Brief loss or change of consciousness, such as fainting, confusion, seizures or coma
  • Transient ischemic attack (TIA) otherwise known as a “mini-stroke.”

Stroke Risk Factors

  • Age
  • Sex
  • Race
  • Previous stroke history
  • Family history of stroke
  • Hypertension
  • Heart disease
  • Smoking
  • Transient Ischemic Attacks (TIAs)
  • Diabetes
  • High Cholesterol
  • Carotid Bruits – an abnormal sound as blood flows in the carotid artery

Medical Stroke Team

Physicians, nurses and staff from all over Stormont-Vail make up the medical stroke team. There are too many to name individually but their skill and dedication does not go unnoticed. The team is made up of trained staff from the following areas:

Emergency Department
Adult Hospitalists
5-North
Critical Care
Lab
Radiology
Rehabilitation
Pharmacy
HealthWise 55
Kansas Rehabilitation Hospital
American Medical Response (AMR)

Life Line Screenings

Stormont-Vail HealthCare is working with Life Line Screening, the leading provider of community-based health screening services in the United States, to promote important preventative screenings to the local community. The screenings look for risk factors related to stroke, carotid artery disease, irregular heart rhythm, abdominal aortic aneurysm, peripheral arterial disease and osteoporosis. To find a screening location near you, visit www.LifeLineScreening.com

Learn More About Stroke

National Stroke Association – www.stroke.org
American Stroke Association – http://www.hearthub.org/hc-stroke.htm
The Brain Attack Coalition – http://www.stroke-site.org/

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