| Stroke Rapid Response Team Saves Lives, Improves Patient Recovery
Holy Cross Hospital's Stroke Rapid Response Team provides 24-hour-a-day emergency coverage by stroke experts - highly trained specialists who can make the critical difference for patients. Speedy diagnosis and rapid treatment can minimize the negative effects of stroke - and greatly improve patient outcomes.
The Stroke Rapid Response Team:
- Emergency room staff
- Stroke physicians
- Neuroradiologists
- Nurses and nurse practitioners
- Intensive care specialists
- Laboratory technologists
The team offers an efficient system of care. Team members on-call are alerted whenever a patient with a suspected stroke is coming to the Emergency Center, and within minutes they meet with the patient for an initial evaluation. Patients then may have both a CT scan and an MRI to provide the team with more information about their condition and needs.
This type of rapid response is critical for stroke patients because it can help minimize damage to the brain. Some stroke patients will be candidates for acute treatment options - such as the medication tPA (tissue plasminogen activator), which can reverse the effects of stroke if given within two to three hours of the initial symptoms. More than 15 percent of all stroke patients admitted to Holy Cross Hospital receive tPA - a rate higher than many other hospitals.
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