NewYork-Presbyterian, working with Weill Cornell Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center and the Fire Department of the City of New York, has launched the East Coast's first mobile stroke treatment unit — an emergency vehicle equipped to provide specialized care to people who may be having a stroke.
The vehicle is staffed by a specialized team of two paramedics from the Regional Emergency Medical Services Council of New York City, a computed tomography technologist and a neurologist. It is outfitted with equipment and medications needed to diagnose and treat strokes, including a wireless CT scanner. The CT scan is electronically transmitted to NewYork-Presbyterian, where a neurologist evaluates the image.
Sign up for our FREE E-Weekly for more coverage like this sent to your inbox!
Through the partnership with the FDNY, the city's 911 system will deploy the MSTU into neighborhoods around NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia University Irving Medical Center if a patient is experiencing stroke symptoms.
"The most effective method in saving a stroke victim's life is to diagnose and treat immediately after a stroke occurs," said Matthew Fink, MD, a neurologist and head of Weill Cornell Medical Center's stroke division. "The MSTU rapidly brings a neurologist and advanced technologies of an emergency room directly to the patient, offering state-of-the-art care that is only moments away. This is just the beginning — there will be a number of innovative clinical treatments that we will be developing in the future for the treatment of stroke in the field."