AAMC Earns Designation as Stroke Center
Only Hospital in Region With Specialty Program
For more information about stroke, visit the AAMC Family Health Resource stroke web page by clicking here.
Anne Arundel Medical Center has earned certification as a primary stroke center from the Joint Commission, becoming the only hospital in the region -- and one of just eight in the state -- to have earned this highly specialized designation. Five of the hospitals are in Baltimore (Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, St. Joseph’s Hospital, Sinai of Baltimore, the Johns Hopkins Hospital, and the University of Maryland Medical Center) and two are in Montgomery County (Montgomery General and Suburban Hospital).
Because successful treatment of stroke patients is so time-critical, the presence of a certified stroke center in Anne Arundel County is significant for the residents of the region because they no longer have to waste precious time and travel 30 or more miles to get life-saving treatment.
The Joint Commission certification means AAMC has demonstrated that its stroke program follows national standards and guidelines that can significantly improve outcomes for stroke patients. In Maryland, someone is hospitalized for a stroke every 30 minutes and someone dies every three hours, according to the Maryland Institute for Emergency Medical Services Systems.
AAMC offers treatment with tPA – tissue Plasminogen Activator, a clot-busting medication approved for use in certain patients having heart attack or stroke. According to the American Heart Association, tPA must be given within a few hours after symptoms begin. The procedure is complex and done through an intravenous (IV) line by specially trained hospital personnel.
Already an accredited health care facility by the Joint Commission, AAMC sought out the certification of its Stroke Center program. “We voluntarily pursued this comprehensive, independent evaluation to validate our commitment to first-rate care for stroke patients,” said Paula Wadley, R.R.T., M.S., executive director, medicine at AAMC. “We’re proud to achieve this distinction.”
AAMC treats between 400 and 500 stroke patients a year.
The incidence of stroke is widespread and on the increase. According to the American Stroke Association, each year 700,000 Americans suffer either a first-time or recurring stroke. Strokes are the third-leading cause of death in the U.S. behind heart disease and cancer. Research from the American Heart Association predicts that the numbers of first-time strokes will more than double in the coming decades as more Americans enter the age group at greatest risk.
“Seeking out and achieving the Stroke Center certification is consistent with AAMC’s mission to provide high quality health care to patients in the region,” said Tori Bayless, chief operating officer at AAMC. “The certification signifies that we have the physicians, staff, resources and expertise to deliver optimal care for the unique needs of stroke patients.”
Mitchell Schwartz, M.D., a cardiologist and medical director of AAMC’s Medical Initiative, cites the critical importance of time in improving outcomes in stroke cases. “Stroke patients need to be treated in a time-sensitive framework just as heart attack patients do. It takes coordination among a multitude of nurses, staff and physicians. AAMC demonstrated its capability to deliver this time-sensitive, orchestrated care for stroke patients, resulting in the approval from The Joint Commission.”
Because the symptoms of a stroke may include confusion or difficulty speaking or comprehension, it often is a family member or co-worker who recognizes there is a problem.
The Joint Commission includes patient education in its evaluation of a stroke program. Laura Norton, R.N., M.S.N., stroke program coordinator at AAMC, says community education is the vital link in raising awareness about the symptoms of stroke. “Our care begins when the patient arrives,” she says. “But our responsibility begins with outreach and education efforts that will help ensure patients arrive here as soon as possible after the onset of a stroke.”
The warning signs of a possible stroke are:
- sudden numbness or weakness of the face, arm or leg, especially on one side of the body
- sudden confusion, trouble speaking or understanding
- sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
- sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
- sudden, severe headache with no known cause.
When one of more of these symptoms is present, call 9-1-1 immediately. To learn more about the causes, symptoms, risks and treatment for stroke, visit askAAMC.org, click on Family Health Resources and choose the link to Cardiovascular Diseases.
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