Buono lobbies for creation of primary stroke centers

Stroke afflicts 700,000 Americans a year and is our nation’s third largest leading cause of death and lifelong disability. It may come as a surprise to some to learn stroke kills twice the number of women annually as breast cancer.

Having a stroke can be devastating, not only for the victim but also for the family and loved ones. I personally experienced the frightening consequences a stroke can inflict two years ago when my mother suffered an ischemic attack while visiting my sister in Florida. It quickly became apparent to me she did not receive optimal care and a great need existed to improve and standardize acute stroke care.

There have been dramatic advances in the treatment of stroke during the last five years. Treatments are currently available which, if given within the first three hours of the onset of symptoms, can actually reverse stroke. A clot-busting drug, thrombolytic drug tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), helps restore blood flow to areas of the brain, thereby reducing stroke-related disability. But only approximately 5 percent of stroke patients in the United States currently receive tPA. This is largely a result of the inability of many hospitals to triage and evaluate patients rapidly.

Because time is of the essence, the availability of around-the-clock specialized stroke care in every community in New Jersey is absolutely essential. In response to recommendations from the Brain Attack Coalition, a multidisciplinary group of professional organizations involved with the delivery of stroke care, such as the American Heart Association, I have been working to have legislation enacted which would create primary stroke centers with dedicated stroke teams to provide rapid care necessary to revolutionize the treatment of stroke victims.

The goal of the legislation is to establish a primary stroke center which is no more than a 30-minute ambulance ride away in order to provide emergency care, including the administration of tPA. By establishing primary stroke centers in as many acute care hospitals as possible to evaluate, stabilize and provide emergency care to patients with acute stroke, we will increase survival rates and decrease the long-term disabilities and costs associated with stroke.

Given the high incidence of stroke and the aging of the population, having these centers available, in conjunction with being aware of stroke’s warning signs, are sound approaches to improving the quality of stroke care.

Sen. Barbara Buono (D-18)