UPdate Winter 2011 : Page 4

UPdate 4 Ashish Nanda, MD, is experienced in performing complicated interventional neurology procedures, including aneurysm coiling. AdvAnced primAry stroke center University Hospital receives Gold Seal of Approval from Joint Commission for Stroke Care U By the numbers • On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds. • Each year more than 800,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. • Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the state of Missouri. • Stroke is also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability in the United States, costing approximately $70 billion in medical expenses and productivity in 2009 alone. niversity Hospital’s stroke program has been certified as an advanced primary stroke center by the Joint Commission. The stroke program is led by co-directors Niranjan Singh, MD, and Ashish Nanda, MD. It provides stroke patients comprehensive care, from emergency treatment through rehabilitation. “We’re very proud to achieve this distinction from the Joint Commission,” Singh said. “Stroke center certification means that we are nationally recognized for our commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community.” To receive stroke program accreditation, the team demonstrated success in 10 performance measures. Patients must receive: • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis • Antithrombotic therapy upon discharge • Anticoagulation therapy if they have atrial fibrillation • Thrombolytic therapy • Antithrombotic therapy by the end of the second hospital day • Cholesterol-reducing medication upon discharge • Stroke education • Smoking cessation information • Dysphagia screening • Rehabilitation assessment Singh serves as an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Missouri and a neurologist at University Hospital. He joined University of Missouri Health Care in July 2008 to lead the development of a comprehensive stroke program. Nanda, an assistant professor of neurology and radiology, joined the team in July 2010 to provide complex interventional therapies such as clot retrieval and aneurysm coiling. Pradeep Sahota, MD, a neurologist at University Hospital, professor and chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, said the accreditation is a reflection of the teamwork to care for each stroke patient. In addition to neurologists, the multidisciplinary team includes health care professionals in emergency medicine, neurosurgery, nursing, rehabilitation (occupational, physical and speech therapy), pharmacy, radiology, laboratory and social work. Emergency medical technicians can play a vital role in the process by assessing patients and transporting them to a certified stroke center. If patients are taken to the closest hospital in a rural area, the emergency staff at the hospital can refer the patient to University Hospital for comprehensive evaluation and treatment. University Hospital activates a stroke team anytime a stroke is suspected — for an inpatient at the hospital, when a patient who comes to the emergency room by personal vehicle or when an emergency medical services crew calls the hospital en route to the emergency room. EMTs can expedite the patient’s evaluation and treatment process by drawing blood while transporting the patient. All lab work for stroke patients receives the highest priority at University Hospital and can be completed within a matter of minutes. Time is of the essence when a patient suffers a stroke. There is a four-and-a-half-hour window to administer the clot-busting medication tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) after the stroke occurs. University Hospital’s “door-to-needle” time averages approximately 30 to 40 minutes, considerably less than the national benchmark time of less than 60 minutes. While the team at University Hospital excels at diagnosing and quickly treating stroke patients in the E.R. to ensure optimal outcomes, University Hospital’s comprehensive stroke center also offers comprehensive follow-up care. Neurologists oversee every aspect of a stroke patient’s care during surgical procedures, treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit, transition to a step-down unit or general nursing floor, and after the patient returns home. Patients requiring more extensive care are discharged to a long-term acute care facility, skilled nursing facility or acute rehabilitation center. Rusk Rehabilitation Center, a joint venture of University of Missouri Health Care and HealthSouth, is recognized by the Joint Commission as a Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence. The rehabilitation center is located in Columbia, minutes away from University Hospital. Additionally, University Hospital has established a clinic for patients at high risk for strokes as well as patients with non-emergent stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). “The TIA is equally important as an acute stroke because those patients have a high chance of having an acute stroke within the next 48 hours,” Nanda said. To refer a patient to a vascular neurologist for non-emergent stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), please call (573) 884-6019 . Visit Find a Physician at www.muhealth.org/findaphysician .

Advanced Primary Stroke Center

University Hospital receives Gold Seal of Approval from Joint Commission for Stroke Care University Hospital’s stroke program has been certified as an advanced primary stroke center by the Joint Commission. The stroke program is led by co-directors Niranjan Singh, MD, and Ashish Nanda, MD. It provides stroke patients comprehensive care, from emergency treatment through rehabilitation. “We’re very proud to achieve this distinction from the Joint Commission,” Singh said. “Stroke center certification means that we are nationally recognized for our commitment to providing outstanding care to our patients and our community. ” To receive stroke program accreditation, the team demonstrated success in 10 performance measures. Patients must receive: • Deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis • Antithrombotic therapy upon discharge • Anticoagulation therapy if they have atrial fibrillation • Thrombolytic therapy • Antithrombotic therapy by the end of the second hospital day • Cholesterol-reducing medication upon discharge • Stroke education • Smoking cessation information • Dysphagia screening • Rehabilitation assessment Singh serves as an assistant professor of neurology at the University of Missouri and a neurologist at University Hospital. He joined University of Missouri Health Care in July 2008 to lead the development of a comprehensive stroke program. Nanda, an assistant professor of neurology and radiology, joined the team in July 2010 to provide complex interventional therapies such as clot retrieval and aneurysm coiling. Pradeep Sahota, MD, a neurologist at University Hospital, professor and chair of the School of Medicine’s Department of Neurology, said the accreditation is a reflection of the teamwork to care for each stroke patient. In addition to neurologists, the multidisciplinary team includes health care professionals in emergency medicine, neurosurgery, nursing, rehabilitation (occupational, physical and speech therapy), pharmacy, radiology, laboratory and social work. Emergency medical technicians can play a vital role in the process by assessing patients and transporting them to a certified stroke center. If patients are taken to the closest hospital in a rural area, the emergency staff at the hospital can refer the patient to University Hospital for comprehensive evaluation and treatment. University Hospital activates a stroke team anytime a stroke is suspected — for an inpatient at the hospital, when a patient who comes to the emergency room by personal vehicle or when an emergency medical services crew calls the hospital en route to the emergency room. EMTs can expedite the patient’s evaluation and treatment process by drawing blood while transporting the patient. All lab work for stroke patients receives the highest priority at University Hospital and can be completed within a matter of minutes. Time is of the essence when a patient suffers a stroke. There is a four-and-a-half-hour window to administer the clot-busting medication tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) after the stroke occurs.University Hospital’s “door-to-needle” time averages approximately 30 to 40 minutes, considerably less than the national benchmark time of less than 60 minutes. While the team at University Hospital excels at diagnosing and quickly treating stroke patients in the E. R. to ensure optimal outcomes, University Hospital’s comprehensive stroke center also offers comprehensive follow-up care. Neurologists oversee every aspect of a stroke patient’s care during surgical procedures, treatment in the hospital’s intensive care unit, transition to a step-down unit or general nursing floor, and after the patient returns home. Patients requiring more extensive care are discharged to a long-term acute care facility, skilled nursing facility or acute rehabilitation center. Rusk Rehabilitation Center, a joint venture of University of Missouri Health Care and HealthSouth, is recognized by the Joint Commission as a Stroke Rehabilitation Center of Excellence. The rehabilitation center is located in Columbia, minutes away from University Hospital. Additionally, University Hospital has established a clinic for patients at high risk for strokes as well as patients with non-emergent stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA). “The TIA is equally important as an acute stroke because those patients have a high chance of having an acute stroke within the next 48 hours,” Nanda said. To refer a patient to a vascular neurologist for non-emergent stroke or a transient ischemic attack (TIA), please call (573) 884-6019. By the numbers • On average, someone suffers a stroke every 40 seconds. • Each year more than 800,000 people experience a new or recurrent stroke. • Stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States and the state of Missouri. • Stroke is also a leading cause of serious, longterm disability in the United States, costing approximately $70 billion in medical expenses and productivity in 2009 alone.

Previous Page Next Page

Publication List
Using a screen reader? Click Here