title: Emergency department evaluation and management of stroke: acute assessment, stroke teams and care pathways.
abstract: The emergency department (ED) is the entry point into the health care system for many stroke victims. Rapid evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of stroke in the prehospital setting as well as the ED are integral to preventing morbidity and mortality. In some centers, emergency medicine physicians are the health care professionals most often able to provide thrombolytic therapy to stroke patients during the brief three-hour window for this therapy. An organized ED approach including implementing stroke care pathways and collaborating with specialized stroke teams in the ED enhance the ability to identify and manage stroke patients effectively. This approach has the potential to improve outcomes on a large scale.
authors.affiliation: Emergency Medicine Residency Program, Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Illinois College of Medicine at Chicago, University of Illinois Medical Center, 1740 West Taylor Street, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. alissagorelick@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Alissa R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Gorelick
authors.forename: Philip B
authors.initials: PB
authors.lastname: Gorelick
authors.forename: Edward P
authors.initials: EP
authors.lastname: Sloan
mesh_terms: D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D013997:Time Factors