Stroke and Neurology

Stroke Care at Adena Health System

Twelve minutes. That’s how long it takes for a pea-size portion of the brain to die during a stroke. The longer a stroke goes untreated, the greater the risk for permanent disability and death.

For patients who’ve had an ischemic stroke, getting a drug treatment called tPA within 3 to 4½ hours of the onset of symptoms is essential. The best stroke centers in the country have processes in place to ensure that stroke patients are evaluated and treated as quickly as possible.

Adena Medical Center, which has been certified as a Primary Stroke Center, has established a protocol that helps provide the best results for patients.

“When a stroke patient comes into the emergency department, our goal is to make sure that patient is seen by a physician within 10 minutes and that a CT scan is done and the report is read within 45 minutes,” says Rhonda Elliott, RN, MS, CNS and a member of Adena’s stroke team. “Ultimately, if we meet those goals, the patient can receive the medication within 60 minutes of coming through our doors.”

The stroke team at Adena includes neurologists, emergency physicians, nurses, social workers, a hospitalist, pharmacy staff, radiology and lab technicians, and rehabilitation experts.

And thanks to telemedicine, Adena’s neurologists also can videoconference with physicians at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center when a second opinion is needed. Patients who qualify for tPA treatment receive the medication at Adena and if necessary, can be transferred to OSU, where neurosurgery is available.

Using the American Stroke Association’s Get With The Guidelines indicators helps the stroke team monitor its response time and continue to improve. Hospitals are expected to meet the goals in the guidelines at least 85 percent of the time, and Adena consistently far exceeds that target for most measures.

“We want patients to know they received quality care here,” Elliott says. “Adena can provide stroke treatment that, if given in a timely manner, can greatly reduce disability that can be very common in stroke victims.”