Acute Stroke Care Services at Alexian Neurosciences Institute

Our Research or Clinical Trials

The Alexian Neurosciences Institute is also actively involved in research studies to provide new advances in the treatment of stroke. Current studies focus on lengthening the window of opportunity in which clot-dissolving agents can be effectively used to arrest stroke damage. New methods of administering this type of medication can revolutionize the outlook for stroke patients and their families.

Commitment to Quality

We are committed to providing the highest quality stroke care and participate in multiple stroke quality initiatives including:

Interventional Management of Stroke Trial III (IMS III)

The Interventional Management of Stroke Trial-III (IMS-III) is a multi-center study funded by the National Institutes of Health to assess treatments for acute stroke. The IMS-III trial seeks to compare the effectiveness, safety, and financial impact of a combined intravenous (IV) and intra-arterial (IA) treatment approach to restoring blood flow to the brain versus a single treatment of IV therapy alone. Those eligible to participate must present to the emergency department early enough for the treatment to be initiated within 3 hours of stroke symptom onset.

Alexian Brothers Medical Center enrolled its first patient into the IMS-III study in December 2006, and we continue to actively enroll in this study. "We are very enthusiastic about this important stroke trial and pleased to be able to actively contribute to the evidence driving stroke care," says Dr. Tim Malisch, Director of Interventional Neuroradiology at Alexian Brothers Medical Center.

For more information on this study, please visit www.ims3.org

Illinois CAPTURE Stroke Registry Improves Quality of Care

We are helping to improve quality of care for stroke patients through our participation in the Illinois CAPTURE Stroke Registry. The data collected in this initiative will be used to measure quality of care for acute stroke patients and help develop improvement strategies that focus on policy, systems change, and professional education. Illinois is one of four states to receive funding for implementing the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry.

For more information on this study, please visit http://www.uic.edu/depts/dhd/ilcapture/stroke/index.html

AVAIL Study Targets Long-Term Stroke Prevention Adherence

Our participation in the AVAIL (Adherence Evaluation After Ischemic Stroke Longitudinal Registry) is helping to evaluate adherence to stroke prevention strategies by patients who have been hospitalized for stroke. Better understanding of how well patients are able to reduce their stroke risk will help improve the quality of care patients receive.

Get With the Guidelines Program Improves Patient Care for Stroke

Get With the Guidelines is a quality improvement program developed by the American Heart Association and the American Stroke Association. It strives to save lives by quickly and successfully improving inpatient care through use of the latest guidelines on stroke. Get With the Guidelines has given us another opportunity to enhance stroke education, stroke prevention, and patient outcomes.

For more information on Get With the Guidelines, please visit: http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1165