MU Health Care recognized for excellence in stroke care

MU Health Care has been recognized by the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services as having a “Level 1” stroke center for its excellence in stroke patient care.

“Once the blood supply to one part of the brain is cut off — the part of the brain tends to die very quickly,” said Dr. Ashish Nanda, co-director for The Missouri Stroke Program.

A person suffering from a stroke has only a short time to make it to the emergency room. Once there, prudent health care decisions need to be made in minutes, which could be the difference between life or death for the patient. On Monday, The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services said MU Health Care is one of the best when confronted with those decisions.

“We are a comprehensive stroke center — state of the art. Where we can provide the patient anything that is related to the stroke here that is required, including anywhere from admitting them to doing all of these complicated, complex procedures,” said Dr. Nanda.

Strokes kill more than 130,000 Americans a year and is the leading cause of disabilities. MU Health Care has been classified as a “Level 1” stroke center, meaning it has some of the fastest and safest care for stroke patients. Last year, statistics show MU health Care was able to administer a clot-busting drug used to treat stroke patients to around 61 percent of of its patients within 45 minutes of coming to the hospital — compared to the national average of 24 percent.

“There are only a handful of hospitals that are going to receive designated Level 1 stroke certification in the state of Missouri and we are proud to be one of them,” said Dr. Nanda.

Officials said beyond diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients, MU Health Care also is being recognized for excellence in rehabilitation, education and research.

Boone County Hospital received the same “Level 1” classification for stroke care.