Emergency department evaluation and management of stroke: acute assessment, stroke teams and care pathways

The emergency department (ED) is the entry point into the health care system for many stroke victims. Rapid evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of stroke in the prehospital setting as well as the ED are integral to preventing morbidity and mortality. In some centers, emergency medicine physicians ar...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inNeurologic clinics Vol. 26; no. 4; p. 923
Main Authors Gorelick, Alissa R, Gorelick, Philip B, Sloan, Edward P
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published United States 01.11.2008
Subjects
Emergency Service, Hospital
Humans
Patient Care Team
Stroke - diagnosis
Stroke - epidemiology
Stroke - therapy
Time Factors
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Summary:The emergency department (ED) is the entry point into the health care system for many stroke victims. Rapid evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of stroke in the prehospital setting as well as the ED are integral to preventing morbidity and mortality. In some centers, emergency medicine physicians are the health care professionals most often able to provide thrombolytic therapy to stroke patients during the brief three-hour window for this therapy. An organized ED approach including implementing stroke care pathways and collaborating with specialized stroke teams in the ED enhance the ability to identify and manage stroke patients effectively. This approach has the potential to improve outcomes on a large scale.
ISSN:0733-8619
DOI:10.1016/j.ncl.2008.05.008