Stroke Center

University Medical Center at Princeton has been recognized as among the first hospitals in the state to earn the designation of Primary Stroke Center from the N.J. Department of Health and Senior Services. This designation is based on UMCP's advanced capabilities and protocols for the rapid and effective treatment of stroke patients.

From acute care in the Emergency Department through rehabilitation and home care, University Medical Center at Princeton has developed a sophisticated protocol to fully address the specialized care needs of individuals who have a stroke. Because stroke cuts off blood supply to part of the brain and brain cells begin to die, the condition is extremely challenging to treat.

According to Paul K. Kaiser, MD, board certified neurologist and Medical Director of the Stroke Center at University Medical Center at Princeton, UMCP's stroke protocol was carefully designed by a multidisciplinary team of healthcare professionals. The protocol aligns emergency response and treatment plans, technology, therapy, individual support and community awareness to enhance individual outcomes and help each patient resume life after stroke as quickly as possible.

According to Dr. Kaiser, UMCP has developed "one of the region's most comprehensive treatment protocols for stroke -- one that takes into consideration the many complex needs of stroke patients." By encompassing effective emergency and acute care models, the protocol has been designed to help people survive a stroke and follow them through recovery by ensuring each patient has access to rehabilitative treatment to help restore physical capabilities, as well as proper support to ease the return home.

"Our protocol also emphasizes the importance of public education by promoting healthy lifestyle choices and building awareness of the risk factors and symptoms of stroke," adds Dr. Kaiser.

Three-hour Window

While stroke is considered among the most serious medical emergencies, prompt and aggressive emergency treatments can save lives and minimize brain injury. It is critical to call 9-1-1 and quickly get a person experiencing stroke symptoms to the hospital. One of the most important treatments for stroke, a drug called t-PA (tissue plasminogen activator), can only be injected within three hours of the onset of symptoms. The drug can prevent lingering disabilities in patients with a certain type of stroke.

Because immediate care is critical to a stroke patient's survival and recovery, UMCP is committed to having a stroke team, including specially trained physicians and nurses, available within 15 minutes following the diagnosis of a potential acute stroke, Dr. Kaiser says. Physicians in the Emergency Department are board certified emergentologists, and board certified neurologists and neurosurgeons are on-call at all times. A team of nurses at UMCP is specially trained in stroke care.

In addition, state-of-the-art computerized tomography (or CT) brain scans and laboratory services are available 24 hours a day.

Overcoming Challenges

University Medical Center at Princeton's Acute Rehabilitation Unit is specially qualified to help recovering stroke patients. It provides physical, occupational, speech, psychological and other therapies geared toward each patient's specific needs.

The unit holds the highest accreditation available for acute rehabilitation programs by the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities, an international organization dedicated to promoting quality, value and optimal outcomes through an accreditation process that centers on enhancing the lives of persons served. UMCP's Acute Rehabilitation Unit is led by Medical Director Carol Sonatore, DO, FAAPMR, and is staffed by experienced rehabilitation nurses who understand the complexities of stroke patients.

Depending on the extent of their injuries, patients may need to relearn tasks ranging from simple activities of daily living to higher-level tasks such as balancing a checkbook.

Acute rehabilitation unit staff and specialists work as a team to determine what needs to be done to help patients overcome their impairments, with the ultimate goal of helping them return home as soon as possible.

Going Home

Stroke care does not end in the hospital. UMCP's comprehensive approach to treatment includes outpatient rehabilitation, home care, medical equipment and a medically supervised fitness center. Princeton HealthCare System is fully networked to ensure that care providers throughout the system have quick access to each patient's entire medical history, promoting safety and more informed care as patients move through different levels of treatment.

Live Healthy

An estimated 750,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year, and it is the third leading cause of death and the leading cause of adult disability in the United States.* The best treatment for a stroke is prevention. Screening for conditions such as high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes can help a person determine his or her risk for stroke and seek treatment.

For more information about UMCP's Stroke Center, call 1.888.PHCS4YOU (1.888.742.7496), any time day or night.