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Here's what hope looks like.
When you leverage expert physicians, advanced technology, and breakthrough treatments and procedures, you get results ... the kind that spell hope for patients on an uncertain road. Take a look at our quality indicators, facts and statistics about past stroke patients. And remember this - if NeuroLink™ could help them, chances are we can help you too.
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Quality indicators for stroke care
Each quarter, we report eight quality indicators for stroke care to The Joint Commission. (Stroke data collected includes patients who have transient ischemic attack [TIA], intracerebral hemorrhage [ICH], non-traumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage [SAH] and acute ischemic stroke.)
- Since January 2008, we have maintained greater than 85 percent compliance on all measures, meeting or exceeding The Joint Commission's goal.
Use of clot-busting tPA in ischemic stroke patients
As an advanced primary stroke center, the goal set by The Joint Commission is for 6 percent to 10 percent of all acute ischemic stroke patients to be treated intravenously with tPA (tissue Plasminogen Activator), a powerful clot-busting medication.
- Since January 2009, we have consistently delivered intravenous (IV) tPA to more than 10 percent of our acute ischemic stroke patients. Our current rate is 12 percent to 16 percent. That achievement is due to the solid processes in place in our Emergency Department, which allows for fast screening of patients, as well as our strong partnership with local Emergency Medical Services (EMS) agencies. Because stroke patients are transported and processed as quickly as possible, more of them can be treated within the IV tPA time window (three hours from the onset of symptoms, or four-and-a-half hours in select patients).
- From January 2008 through October 2012, 183 patients received IV tPA.
Use of clot retrieval procedure in ischemic stroke patients
In April 2010, NeuroLink began offering comprehensive stroke care. This means that, in addition to using IV tPA, we employ cutting-edge, minimally invasive clot retrieval devices to physically extract blood clots in certain ischemic stroke patients.
IV tPA can only be used within three hours (or four-and-a-half hours in select patients) of the onset of stroke symptoms, but clot retrieval technology can be used up to 12 hours after symptom onset. The expanded time window translates to a much better chance of survival and minimized or reversed brain damage.
The Medical Center of Plano is the first and only hospital in Collin County to offer this technology.
Use of coiling in hemorrhagic stroke/cerebral aneurysm patients
For patients with bleeding in the brain, we perform a minimally invasive, endovascular coiling procedure in which thin metal spring-like coils are placed inside the aneurysm to prevent it from rupturing.
The Medical Center of Plano is the only hospital in Collin County to offer such sophisticated stroke care.
Stroke volumes
As a trusted leader in comprehensive stroke care, The Medical Center of Plano is one of the highest-volume stroke centers in the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. The chart below illustrates our annual volumes.
|
2007 |
2008 |
2009 |
2010 |
2011 |
Jan-Oct |
Ischemic stroke patients |
145 |
191 |
281 |
343 |
431 |
356 |
Hemorrhagic stroke patients |
47 |
67 |
89 |
152 |
187 |
155 |
Transient Ischemic Attack (TIA) patients |
93 |
56 |
101 |
192 |
240 |
142 |
TOTAL STROKE PATIENTS |
285 |
314 |
471 |
687 |
858 |
653 |
