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Spring Survey 2012

Research

Program: Acute Stroke and Stroke Prevention
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Andrew Schorr:

Let's talk about research.  You're an academic research institution.  What's going on in your field as far as studying ways to diagnose and treat stroke better? 

 

Dr. Bernstein:

Well, there's never been a more exciting time to be a stroke researcher because of all the different technologies that are converging on this disease.  Our ability to diagnose a stroke has never been better.  Within about 30 minutes of a patient hitting the door we can understand with an MRI scan whether or not they're having a stroke, which artery is blocked and sometimes we can even tell how much brain is irreversibly damaged and how much brain is at risk to be damaged if we don't try to get that artery open.  So that's one of the things we are studying at Northwestern Memorial Hospital, using MRI to better understand in the heat of battle how much brain tissue is at risk if we don't open up a blocked artery in the middle of a stroke. 

 

We have new devices coming on the market all the time for opening up blocked arteries; corkscrews, vacuum devices, balloons, and stents.  We can deploy any of them if we think it's appropriate in a patient right there in the middle of a stroke if they come to the emergency room in time to get them. 

 

And then regarding prevention our technology for detecting treatable causes the stroke like atrial fibrillation has never been better, and we have a number of new blood thinners on the market that can help us prevent blood clots in the first place.  And we're really looking forward to studying them and understanding where they all fit in in the armamentarium we have of weapons against stroke.

 

Andrew Schorr:

Now, this multidisciplinary team and the research going on in your institution, I would guess this isn't happening everywhere, so while there's a tremendous priority on stroke across the U.S. whether the ambulance takes you to Hospital A or B could make a difference. 

 

Dr. Bernstein:

Yes, it could make a tremendous difference.  Even putting the research aside it's only a small minority of hospitals that are primary stroke centers.  Many hospitals in the United States, unfortunately probably a majority, are simply not set up to accurately diagnose and correctly treat somebody with an acute stroke.  One of our efforts is to get the ambulance corps in the city of Chicago to recognize acute stroke patients and take them to a primary stroke center or a hospital that is equivalent to a primary stroke center so that the patient has the best chance of getting up?to?the?minute treatments.  And we're working with the City of Chicago very closely to make that a reality. 

 

In my view more hospitals need to become primary stroke centers so that they can handle a stroke patient when they hit the door 24/7, and that's an effort of community education that is actually part of being a comprehensive stroke center.

 

Andrew Schorr:

All right.  Well, the lesson I think for our listeners is ask around, get information on where the primary stroke center near you is.  In the case of downtown Chicago, of course, right there, Northwestern Memorial Hospital is a wonderful example, as Dr. Bernstein has been discussing.  But I think it's important for you to know.  It's such a common unfortunately condition, so if, let's say, the ambulance people were going to ask you do you want to go here or there and you knew or a family knows, you should know.  And that would be very helpful. 

 

We're going to take another break and when we continue with Dr. Bernstein we're going to go over again the things you can do in your family for yourself to try to lower your risk of having a stroke.  We'll be back with more Patient Power right after this. 

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