Study finds mobile stroke units improve outcomes and lessen rates of disability in stroke patients.
A new study involving UCLA researchers finds that mobile stroke units (MSUs) — state-of-the-art ambulances built to provide stroke patients with emergency neurological diagnosis and treatment prior to hospital arrival — improve patient outcomes and lessen the chance for disability by delivering care faster than standard stroke care.
The UCLA Mobile Stroke Unit serves as a shared regional resource of LA County EMS Provider Agencies, taking patients to 15 different stroke center hospitals within three regions in Los Angeles County. The MSU carries a CT scanner that can directly image the brain and blood vessels in the field. UCLA was one of seven national mobile stroke unit programs to participate in the clinical trial, which was presented March 17 at the International Stroke Conference.
Dr. May Nour, the UCLA MSU program’s medical director and a lead author on the study, said that she is very pleased that the study findings reflect the positive experience that she and her colleagues have been witnessing while treating patients in the field.
