Duke Raleigh Hospital became the first hospital in North Carolina to receive Advanced Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center certification from The Joint Commission, the nation’s oldest and largest standards-setting accrediting body in health care.
“With the recent advances in endovascular therapies for acute ischemic stroke, it’s important to recognize hospitals which can perform this critical intervention safely and effectively and we commend Duke Raleigh Hospital on this designation,” said Edward C. Jauch, MD, chair of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association’s Hospital Accreditation Stroke Subcommittee.
The new certification—developed in collaboration with the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association and launched Jan. 1, 2018— recognizes hospitals that meet rigorous standards for removing blood clots from blood vessels (thrombectomy) in the brain and providing support to patients after the procedure. These standards include:
- The ability to perform mechanical thrombectomy at any time of day;
- Routinely exceeds the minimum volume of mechanical thrombectomy procedures performed in the past year;
- The availability of specialized staff and clinicians with extensive training;
- And procedures to collect, review, and submit data on patient outcomes.
Among the hospital’s strengths was its highly trained staff, including three endovascular-trained neurosurgeons and a neuro-interventional radiology–trained radiologist. Duke Raleigh’s patient outcomes were also notable, with approximately 60 percent of patients able to take care of themselves or require minimal assistance 90 days after receiving mechanical thrombectomy.
New RAPID advanced imaging platform technology at the hospital enables doctors to identify damaged areas of the brain to make quick treatment decisions and extend the number of patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy procedures.
“This certification is a true testament to the collaboration involved in caring for our stroke patients and it demonstrates our experience with these procedures and this specialized type of care,” said David Zaas, president of Duke Raleigh Hospital. “Such positive outcomes are the work and dedication of this entire team, including the Duke Transfer Center, the front-line emergency department staff, the neuro-interventional radiology team on call 24/7 and the ICU and step-down nurses.”
Duke neurosurgeons providing stroke care at Duke Raleigh Hospital, left to right: Fernando Gonzalez, MD; Erik Hauck, MD; Ali Zomorodi, MD.