The American Heart Association (AHA) recently recognized Saint Louis University Hospital as a Primary Acute Stroke Center.

In order to become a Primary Acute Stroke Center, area hospitals were required to declare their compliance with recommendations for acute stroke treatment set forth by the Brain Attack Coalition – of which the AHA is a member. The American Stroke Association, a division of the AHA, then made a site visit to each hospital to discuss the recommendations.

As an Acute Stroke Center, SLU Hospital has neurologists on call 24 hours a day who come to the Emergency Department or other areas of the hospital when a patient is seen within three hours of onset of stroke symptoms. The patient then undergoes an evaluation to determine whether he or she is a candidate for thrombolytic therapy, which has been shown to minimize disability in a significant percentage of patients.

SLU Hospital also met the following other requirements of Acute Stroke Centers: availability of a neurosurgery team in case of complications; 24 hour-a-day availability of CT scanners; and having protocols and critical pathways for stroke patients.