Newspress

Time is brain: for every minute a stroke is left untreated, 2 million brain cells are destroyed. The sooner patients are treated, the higher the chances of survival with fewer disabilities.

Patients with acute strokes and transient ischemic attack (TIA) are assessed and treated at the right place, the right time and by the right professionals thanks to ultra-specialized stroke centres at the Montreal General Hospital and The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital.

THE NEURO BECOMES A CENTRE FOR TERTIARY STROKE CARE

The Quebec government has designated the Montreal Neurological Hospital - The Neuro, part of the McGill University Health Centre as a centre for Tertiary Stroke Care. Designated centres treat victims of hyper-acute stroke, which is a stroke that has occurred within 10-12 hours before the patient's arrival at the centre. To qualify for this distinction, the centre must have an Intensive Care Unit, an interventional radiologist, neurosurgeons, and beds dedicated to stroke patients.

SPECIALIZED RECEIVING AREA FOR STROKE PATIENTS

Rapid medical treatment is crucial for someone who suffers a stroke, which is why The Neuro has opened a highly-specialized Receiving Area (RA) for incoming stroke patients. The RA has taken over handling stroke patients who were being seen at the Royal Victoria Hospital Emergency Room before it moved from downtown Montreal to the Glen Yards site.

Now, patients with stroke symptoms get immediate attention in the RA, which is inside The Neuro's Intensive Care Unit (ICU), when they arrive by ambulance. Ambulance staff rate stroke patients according to the Cincinnati scale. A positive Cincinnati rating considers symptoms such as slurred speech, facial droop and arm drift. Urgences Santé alerts the RA staff through a direct line to expect a patient's arrival. Only about 10 per cent of patients are referred to the RA by doctors and clinics. The RA does not accept walk-in patients or telephone calls from patients or their families. On average, the RA admits about four stroke and non-stroke patients a day.

"Even though a patient has signs of stroke, it doesn't necessarily mean a stroke," says Siva Moonsamy, Managing Nurse at The Neuro's ICU. "So within 15 to 30 minutes of a patient's arrival to the RA, a neurological examination, CT scan and other tests are performed to confirm the diagnosis and a rapid course of treatment."

The RA is managed as part of the ICU. A neuro intensivist and ICU nurses cover the unit 24 hours 7 days per week ensuring that emergency stroke patients are cared for at The Neuro expertly and without delay.

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