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Stroke Treatment

Certified by DNV Healthcare, Inc., the Upstate Comprehensive Stroke Center has the proven resources, infrastructure, processes and highly trained staff in place to provide the very best in stroke care, including:

  • Multidisciplinary approach that includes neurologists, neurosurgeons, interventional radiologists, and rehabilitation therapists
  • Three levels of specialized care: Specialized Neuroscience floor, Neuroscience step-down, and Neuroscience Intensive Care Unit all conveniently located on our 9th floor
  • Nursing staff with specialized, focused certifications (Stroke Certified Registered Nurse and Certified Neuroscience Registered Nurse)
  • Use of clot-busting medication for ischemic stroke treatment
  • Catheter based therapy for the direct removal of the clot from the brain 
  • Advanced computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) extending the window of treatment up to 24 hours after the patient was last seen normal or well
  • State of the art neurovascular and endovascular procedures for repair of aneurysms and other causes of hemorrhagic strokes (brain bleeds)
  • Telemedicine capabilities to treat stroke patients in rural hospitals
  • Active participation in multiple clinical research trials to improve and advance stroke treatment

Median Treatment Times

clipart of a stop watch

30 Minute Median Treatment Time in 2021!

The American Heart Association sets a treatment standard of 60 minutes or less from the patient's arrival to the hospital. This graph represents the median treatment times seen at Upstate for the last 10 years, representing consistently fast times.

Ischemic Stroke Treatment Times

Year Median Treatment Time For Strokes
2012 60
2013 55
2014 48
2015 41
2016 34
2017 35.5
2018 36
2019 34
2020 32
2021 30

The Brain Experts

Stroke care depends on physicians, nurses, therapists and more. Patients who are wheeled into Upstate University Hospital’s emergency department suffering from stroke are likely to receive acute treatment and rehabilitative care under the same roof, followed by the same ensemble of providers.

The Upstate Comprehensive Stroke Center, the area’s first designated Level 1 Comprehensive Stroke Center, features the region’s only specialized neuroscience and rehabilitation floors, with three levels of specialized nursing care. The neurologists, neurosurgeons and emergency physicians train students and conduct research that improves our understanding of how the brain works and how best to treat stroke. 

  • 24/7 board certified stroke neurologists
  • 24/7 onsite neurosurgery
  • 24/7 specialists in neurointerventional radiology
  • 24/7 neurocritical care specialists
  • 24/7 board certified emergency physicians

Since becoming a stroke center, Upstate has also taken care of thousands of complicated stroke patients who were too sick to be cared for at other hospitals in Central New York. The hospital’s stroke team works together to determine what treatment is best for each individual patient.

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