When a Stroke Strikes, Speed is Essential

Phillip Scott Photo: Martin Vloet

How fast you get treatment when having a stroke could be more important than who provides it, says Phillip Scott, M.D., director of the U-M’s Emergency Stroke Team and an assistant professor of emergency medicine. Scott directed a study of 140 stroke patients treated with clot-busting drugs called tissue plasminogen activators or tPA. If treatment was received within the recommended three hours of the stroke’s onset, Scott found that the complication rate for patients treated by emergency room physicians was the same as for those treated by specialized stroke teams. But successful treatment depends on getting to the ER in time. “Any sudden change in speech, sensation or strength is a medical emergency,” says Scott. “Call 911 and get to the nearest emergency room as quickly as possible.”

—KG

For more details, read the complete press release at: www.med.umich.edu/opm/newspage/2002/stroke.htm