UCLA Stroke Center receives American Stroke Association's Initial Achieve...( The UCLA Stroke Center recently recei...),Health

The UCLA Stroke Center recently received the American Stroke Association's Get With The GuidelinesStroke Initial Performance Achievement Award.

The award recognizes UCLA's commitment and success in implementing a higher standard of stroke care by ensuring that stroke patients receive treatment according to nationally accepted standards and recommendations.

"With a stroke, time lost is brain lost, and the GWTGStroke Initial Performance Achievement Award addresses the important element of time," said Dr. Jeffrey Saver, professor of neurology and co-director of the UCLA Stroke Center.

UCLA has developed a comprehensive system for rapid diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients admitted to the emergency department. This includes being equipped 24 hours a day, seven days a week, to provide brain imaging scans; having neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations; and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

To receive the award, the UCLA Stroke Center consistently complied for 90 days with the requirements in the GWTGStroke program. These include aggressive use of medications like tPA, antithrombotics, anticoagulation therapy, DVT prophylaxis (prevention of deep-vein thrombosis or clots), cholesterol reducing drugs and smoking cessation. The 90-day evaluation period is the first in an ongoing self-evaluation by the hospital to continually reach the 85 percent compliance level needed to sustain this award.

"The American Stroke Association commends the UCLA Stroke Center for its success in implementing standards of care and protocols," said Dr. Lee H. Schwamm, national GWTG steering committee member and director of acute stroke services at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. "The full implementation of acute care and secondary prevention recommendations and guidelines is a critical step in saving the lives and improving outcomes of stroke patients." GWTGStroke uses the "teachable mom
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Contact: Amy Albin
aalbin@mednet.ucla.edu
310-794-8672
University of California - Los Angeles
17-May-2007