Stroke Center

UVA Earns Recertification from The Joint Commission

In March, the University of Virginia Health System’s Stroke Center earned recertification by The Joint Commission. UVA is the home to Central Virginia’s only Joint Commission-certified Primary Stroke Center, signifying that UVA’s stroke team meets rigorous national standards for stroke care. The Joint Commission review of the stroke program found no areas in need of improvement, says Heather Turner, RN, the program’s nurse coordinator.

“I think it reflects positively on the skills and commitment of the multidisciplinary team that has been assembled for the care of stroke patients at the University of Virginia,” says Aaron Dumont, MD, Medical Director of Neurosurgery for the Stroke Center.

“Recertification is the result of the coordination of care among multiple disciplines, and shows our ability to work together toward a common goal,” adds E. Clarke Haley, MD, Medical Director of Neurology for the Stroke Center. UVA’s stroke team – including stroke neurologists, neurointensivists, interventional neuroradiologists, emergency department physicians, stroke-care nurses and neurosurgeons – is on call around the clock to provide fast access to tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to treat stroke along with several leading-edge treatments for stroke.

One such treatment: using arterial microcatheters to place tPA directly on a clot causing ischemic stroke, expanding the treatment window from three hours after the onset of symptoms to six hours. Patients at UVA also benefit from the availability of the MERCI retriever, a catheter-inserted device which is able to grab and remove clots causing ischemic stroke up to eight hours after the onset of symptoms. UVA is also able to insert intracranial stents to treat and prevent strokes for patients with 70 percent or greater stenosis in the carotid artery who are high-risk surgical candidates or who have had multiple strokes.

Following their treatment or procedure, patients receive specialized care in UVA’s Stroke Unit and Neuro-Intensive Care Unit. Patients can also access UVA’s Joint Commission-certified stroke rehabilitation center – one of just two in Virginia.

To refer a patient for stroke treatment, call UVA Physician Direct at 800.552.3723.

Transfer Guidelines

Pegasus, UVA's emergency transport system, can transfer patients to UVA’s Stroke Center. Transfers should be considered as an option for:

  • Acute stroke treatment – patients arriving within three hours of the onset of symptoms can receive intravenous tPA
  • Emergent neurointerventional and neurosurgical procedures – including the MERCI retriever, neuroendovascular stenting and intracranial monitoring device
  • Novel diagnostic procedures – including CTA and CT perfusion, MRI diffusion-perfusion scans and CT-PET scans