Quickly administering the clot-busting, brain-saving drug t-PA to restore blood flow to the brain. Treating acute ischemic stroke patients with medications that prevent the formation of additional blood clots, when it’s safe and appropriate, 100 percent of the time. Exceeding the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s quality measures 95 plus percent of the time.

These are a few of the reasons OHSU has earned top honors for its stroke care for the eighth consecutive year.

The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) presented the OHSU Stroke Center with its Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Gold Plus award Oct. 22 in recognition of our excellent stroke care. The Gold Plus award is the top stroke treatment honor and recognizes hospitals who meet all seven Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Achievement Measures at least 85 percent of the time and five or more Get With the Guidelines® Stroke Quality Measures at least 75 percent of the time. And to get the gold, hospitals like OHSU must meet these standards for 12 consecutive months. As noted earlier, OHSU exceeded the AHA/ASA standards by achieving 95 percent or better compliance with these measures.

In addition to quickly administering clot-busting drugs and treatments that reduce the risk of future strokes, OHSU provides a full array of advanced stroke treatments. This includes carotid stents, carotid endarectomies, aneurysm clipping and coiling, as well as recovery in our state-of-the-art Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit.

OHSU also meets the rigorous standards laid out by the Joint Commission for Certified Comprehensive Stroke Centers for each of the 600 ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients we care for each year. And the OHSU Telemedicine Network extends stroke treatment expertise to more than 150 patients at community hospitals throughout Oregon each year. This allows patients to receive specialty stroke care more quickly and reduces unnecessary and expensive patient transfers by 40 percent. In addition, 40 percent of these telestroke patients receive advanced stroke treatments such as t-PA and/or clot removal procedures because their hospital is connected to OHSU’s stroke neurologists via telemedicine.

These efforts, along with the recognition we receive from both the AHA/ASA and the Joint Commission, confirms that OHSU consistently provides the highest standard of care for stroke patients.

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Karen Ellmers, R.N., M.S., C.C.N.S.
OHSU Stroke Program Coordinator