Rush University Medical Center in Chicago unveils Illinois’ first mobile stroke treatment unit. Cutting down on response time for treatment of stroke is essential to increasing the odds of patient survival.
Read the full original article from Rush.
“The standard treatment of icshemic strokes (87%) of all strokes is a drug called tissue plasminogen activator, or tPA, which can dissolve clots and restore blood flow in the brain. The “clot-buster” drug can restore blood flow, preventing death and minimizing disability.
Studies have shown, however, that tPA works best if administered within 90 minutes of the stroke occurrence and that it is ineffective after 4.5 hours. At that point, after “the damage is done,” and the drug is simply not used. Because of this narrow treatment window — combined with various delays in stroke patients receiving care — only a small number of patients in this country who have ischemic strokes, no more than about 5 percent, are treated with tPA.”
The mobile response unit aims to get to a stroke patient within 90 minutes to administer tPA.
