23
March
2018
|
12:49 PM
America/Chicago

OSF Saint Anthony Now Comprehensive Stroke Center

Designation is the first and only in Rockford region

OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center further establishes its position as the number one hospital for stroke care in Rockford with the designation as a Comprehensive Stroke Center. OSF Saint Anthony is the first and only medical center in northwest Illinois with this designation. There are only 14 such centers in Illinois and only 207 in the U.S.

The certification is the result of a recent extensive survey by DNV GL, a leading, independent assessment and management certification company. The two-day survey reviewed all aspects of OSF Saint Anthony’s stroke program, surgical procedures and related treatments.

“This is important to the region and the people of Rockford,” says Dr. Harneet Bath, Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center. “We provide the latest and best technological advances in health care. So, if you have a loved one or family member suffering a stroke, you want them to be brought to OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center.”

"We've been a Primary Stroke Center for a number of years," says OSF HealthCare Saint Anthony Medical Center President Paula Carynski. "Becoming a Comprehensive Stroke Center adds an additional layer of expertise that most centers across the country don't have. It has the neuro-internationalists that are trained and able to remove those blood clots through small catheterizations and have phenomenal outcomes. So, the level of care, the standard of care, is second to none." 

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Carynski SB 1

Comprehensive Stroke Center means OSF Saint Anthony cares for all types of stroke patients – blood vessel blockage, including bleeding strokes, such as those caused by brain aneurysms.

Additionally, the Comprehensive Stroke Center designation indicates OSF Saint Anthony has a dedicated neuroscience intensive care unit for stroke patients, has on-site neurosurgical availability 24/7 with the ability to perform complex neurovascular procedures and receives patients from primary stroke centers.

"The designation sends a message to the community, as well as the entire emergency medical system, that we exist, that we have this outstanding level of care and that this is the place to bring your patients to have the best outcomes," says Carynski. 

 

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Carynski SB 2

A year ago OSF Saint Anthony invested $4 million in a state-of-the-art neuro intervention suite, team and stroke treatment protocols.

The surgical suite provides surgeons a 3-D image of the brain so they can accurately see the blood clot(s) causing the stroke. They then enter the brain with a catheter and remove the clot(s). If performed soon after the symptoms occur, the procedure can often prevent the more serious effects of stroke and greatly improve recovery.