Article: Mobile Stroke Units Yield Better Outcomes Than Care Through EMS Ambulances (Neurology Today®)
The number of mobile stroke units in the US has grown to more than 20 over the last decade and can help with patient outcomes by having a portable CT scanner and personnel on board trained to initiate intravenous thrombectomy on the way to the hospital. Now, research shows that patients treated by those units had a lower level of global disability at hospital discharge than those treated by standard emergency medical services.
Mobile Stroke Units in Rural Texas: Expanding Access to Critical Stroke Care
When a patient experiences a stroke, every minute of delayed treatment kills millions of additional brain cells. For many rural Texans, these costly delays can lead to irreversible brain damage or event death.
Mobile Stroke Units (MSUs) can dramatically improve access to stroke scare in rural Texas, where patients often live many miles from a designated stroke treatment center. By treating stroke patients on-site, MSUs can extend the reach of these stroke treatment centers to ensure that rural Texans are able to receive critical intervention within the first hour of a stroke.
By expanding the availability of MSU care in rural and underserved communities, Texas can significantly reduce stroke-related death and disability, enhance survival rates, and improve recovery outcomes.
"Golden Hour" range of typical EMS dispatch from Stroke Treatment Center (60 min round trip, hospital to patient to hospital)
"Golden Hour" range of typical MSU dispatch from Stroke Treatment Center (60 min one way, hospital to patient)
About the Texas Neurological Society
The Texas Neurological Society is a physician-led organization dedicated to advancing the field of neurology in Texas through education, advocacy, and the promotion of high-quality neurological care.
Representing neurologists, neurosurgeons, and healthcare professionals across the state, TNS works to improve patient outcomes by supporting clinical research, providing continuing medical education, and advocating for policies that improve access to neurological care.
With a focus on collaboration and innovation, the society works to address the unique healthcare challenges facing Texas' diverse population, particularly in areas of stroke care, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, and other neurological disorders.
