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STROKE VICTIMS' HEALTH INDICATORS TO BE STUDIED AT U.VA.Researchers at the University of Virginia Health System have received a $764,000 grant from the National Institute of Neurologic Diseases and Stroke, at the National Institutes of Health, to investigate how patients' health status a few months after a stroke can be predicted from information obtained just after the stroke occurs.The patients to be studied are those with ischemic strokes, which are caused by a lack of blood flow to the brain. The most common form of stoke, it may be caused by narrowing of arteries to or in the brain by blood clots. A multidisciplinary team from the U.Va. departments of Neurology, Radiology, Neurosurgery and Health Evaluation Sciences will use information such as age, past history of stroke and stroke severity, as well as a brain scan called magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), from stroke patients admitted to the U.Va. Emergency Department. What's new and unique about this study is combining the clinical predictors and the MRI of the injured part of the brain, said study principal investigator Dr. Karen C. Johnston, assistant professor of neurology and health evaluation sciences. We are hoping to predict the health condition of the patients three months after their stroke. If so, then we can improve our medical decision making. The study will recruit patients over the next three years, asking patients or their families who come to the U.Va. Emergency Department if they will consent to participate upon arrival at the hospital. The study will be conducted for five years. Johnston's study team includes: Dr. E. Clarke Haley, Jr., professor of neurology and neurosurgery, a stroke specialist; Dr. Alfred F. Connors, Jr., professor of health evaluation sciences and internal medicine; Dr. Douglas P. Wagner, professor of health evaluation sciences; Dr. David M. Kallmes, assistant professor of radiology; Gail Kongable, associate professor of neurosurgery; and Kay Maupin, stroke clinical coordinator for the neurology department. Study consultants are Dr. William A. Knaus, professor and chairman of the Department of Health Evaluation Sciences and Frank E. Harrell, professor and director, Division of Biostatistics and Epidemiology. The beauty of this study, in addition to its importance to patient care, is the outstanding team of clinicians and scientists involved. It's an honor to work with this group, Johnston said. September 28, 2000 |