Milton Hospital Receives Primary Stroke Services Designation Milton, Mass. - Milton Hospital has been licensed as one of Massachusetts' first hospitals designated to provide Primary Stroke Services. The designation indicates that the hospital is prepared to rapidly diagnose and treat acute stroke patients. Department of Public Health (DPH) Commissioner Christine C. Ferguson announced Milton Hospital's stroke designation, along with that of other hospitals statewide, at a recent press conference. The Primary Stroke Service regulations were developed to provide acute stroke patients with a greater chance of successful treatment. Through a combination of community education, medical staff training, implementation of hospital protocols geared toward quick stroke diagnosis and treatment, and results analysis, the program is intended to improve treatment of stroke patients before significant irreversible damage occurs. The hospital has appointed neurologist Paul S. Blachman, M.D., as its stroke service medical director. "It is tragic when people don't come to the hospital early at the time of a stroke," Dr. Blachman said. "We have effective treatments that can minimize damage if they are administered early. With this primary stroke designation, Milton Hospital will see patients when something can be done to help them." Treating patients with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a 'clot-busting' drug, is an effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke if administered within a three-hour window from the onset of symptoms. The time-sensitive nature of tPA therapy requires that acute stroke patients be transported to hospitals that are prepared to provide a quick response. "Time is brain," Dr. Blachman explained. Milton Hospital was granted the primary stroke service license after about a year of preparation. State-mandated criteria for the program include 24-hour, 7-day availability of an Acute Stroke Team, equipped and trained to handle stroke emergencies. The multi-disciplinary team includes members of radiology, neurology, laboratory services, emergency nursing and emergency medicine. Training and coordination with local Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers is also required, so that the hospital's emergency department is prepared to receive and triage patients with acute stroke symptoms. The hospital is also required to periodically review its stroke services, and make any necessary revisions to the program to ensure ongoing compliance with strict DPH guidelines. Continuing education, including ongoing training of emergency department and EMS personnel and an extensive community education and awareness initiative, are also mandated. Community education includes information regarding the prevention of stroke, recognition of stroke symptoms and stroke treatment. Stroke, sometimes thought of as a "brain attack," occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted. It is the nation's third leading cause of death and the leading cause of severe, long-term disability. In Massachusetts, 17,799 people were hospitalized with stroke symptoms and 3,557 people died as a result of a stroke in 2002. Additional information on strokes is available from the American Stroke Association, a division of the American Heart Association, at http://www.strokeassociation.org. Milton Hospital has 250 physicians on staff, representing primary care and 22 different medical specialties, from pediatrics to geriatrics. The 113-bed community hospital is affiliated with Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and provides a wide range of inpatient and outpatient surgical specialties, emergency medicine, critical care, neurology and cardiology. The hospital has free on-site parking and is easily accessible by Routes 93, 3 and 95.

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