Timing is everything when it comes to a stroke. Every second 32,000 neurons die during a stroke. Every Minute your brain ages 3.1 weeks. Every year in the United States almost 800,000 people have a stroke and every four minutes somebody dies as a result of a stroke. When health leaders in Arkansas recognized there was an issue with patients getting the stroke treatment they needed in rural environment, they decided to make a change.
Then, Arkansas was the first in the nation for death per capita from stokes, but the state recently fell to seventh.
The Arkansas SAVES programs connects patients in a rural area with a neurologist via webcam so they can be evaluated and diagnosed with a stroke in order to get the medication they need before it is too late. The current national standard is to give TPA, the clot busting drug for an acute stroke, within 60 minutes of arrival to the ER.
Due to exemplary care, several NARMC team members recently were awarded by AR Saves for outstanding performance and lasting contributions to stroke care. In these instances, TPA was given to patients in record breaking time. NARMC’s best time was within 29 minutes.
“Our goal for the NARMC emergency department is to have a door to TPA time of 45 minutes or less. It takes the whole team for these brain saving times to happen,” Lauren Elliott, RN, Stroke Nurse Facilitator, said.
Award recipients include Robin Cartwright, RN, JR Looper, RN, David Glenn, RN, Patsy Rhyne, RN, and Ariel Hayes, RN.