Primary stroke centers: are they worth the journey?

Researchers from Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center (NH, USA), led by Kimon Bekelis, have evaluated the association between travel time to a primary stroke center (PSC) and 7- and 30-day death rates. They hope that this research could lead to identification of the optimum combination of treatment approaches for effective stroke care. The prognosis following stroke is thought to be significantly affected by time-to-treatment. To maximize patient outcomes, PSCs have been established across the USA to ensure treatment guidelines are followed and efficient stroke-specific care is provided. Due to the fact that PSCs are more sparsely located than non-PSC certified hospitals, there...