West Valley Medical Center - July 19, 2019

2 min Read Time

Dr. Richard Augustus
Chief Medical Officer

Code Stroke

We have officially changed the code name from BAT (Brain Attack Team) to Code Stroke team. This process included the majority of the code team involved in the care for our stroke patients. NIHSS Documentation is now a Core Measure requirement. Physician and RN will be documenting NIHSS (they do not need to mirror each other). Goal times have been defined further:

  • Door to Physician Greet Time <5 minutes
  • Door to Neuro (BlueSky) being paged <5 minutes
  • Door to CT <15 minutes
  • Door to CT Interpretation <45 minutes
  • Lab results from time of draw <45 minutes
  • Door to tPA administration <60 minutes
  • Door in to Door out for Transfers <60 minutes.

West Valley Earns Advanced Stroke Center Designation

West Valley Medical Center is now a designated Level III Stroke Center in the state of Idaho. This means the center is an advanced stroke capable hospital, providing the best care related to recognizing strokes, imaging and treatment including administration of medication for certain stroke patients and the ability to transfer patients to an interventional facility within an hour of arrival.

Last fall West Valley added the position of Stroke Coordinator to the Quality/Patient Safety department. The position works in partnership with the Emergency Department, hospital leadership, as well as other organizations to implement best practices, and educates the community about the importance of early stroke detection. Stroke Coordinator Devan Trosky says stroke care is a team effort, which is why it is critical to keep colleagues up to date on best practices.

“Our team at West Valley is dedicated to providing the best care imaginable to all of our patients. I have a passion for stroke education and I am committed to creating a sense of urgency within the community because education and knowledge of stroke, really can decrease the long term deficits that a patient may experience,” said Trosky.

Door to tPA average this year is 53 minutes, 71% of tPA administration is <60 minutes and 43% is less than 45 minutes.

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