South Fulton

joins more than 70 hospitals throughout the country that volunteered to

participate in the Beta pilot test of the "Get With The Guidelines

­ Stroke" program. The Beta pilot allows further refinement

of the program, given the diverse models of stroke care across the country.

Pending these pilot results, the program is tentatively scheduled to launch

nationally in the spring of 2004.

Dr. LaRoy Penix,

a SFMC neurologist, serves as the Medical Director of the Stroke Unit.

His leadership has been invaluable in providing guidance and direction

for this program.

As a "Get

With The Guidelines ­ Stroke" participant, SFMC has been encouraged

to develop a comprehensive system for providing rapid diagnosis and treatment

of stroke when patients are admitted to the emergency department. This

includes being equipped 24 hours a day, seven days a week to provide brain

imaging scans, making neurologists available to conduct patient evaluations

and using clot-busting medications when appropriate.

South Fulton

Medical Center is also increasing its efforts to prevent secondary strokes

through the aggressive use of medications such as statins and anti-platelets

as indicated in the secondary stroke prevention guidelines. Other methods

include the treatment of atrial fibrillation and atherosclerosis and management

of smoking cessation, weight, exercise, diabetes, and cholesterol.

Through "Get

With The Guidelines ­ Stroke," the American Stroke Association

provides SFMC training and staffing recommendations, care maps, discharge

protocols, standing orders, data-collection and measurement tools. The

program also facilitates creating and sharing best practices among participating

hospitals.

The number

of acute ischemic stroke patients eligible for treatment is expected to

grow over the next decade due to increasing stroke incidence and a large

aging population. Each year, about 700,000 people suffer a stroke 500,000

are first attacks and 200,000 are recurrent. Of stroke survivors, 22 percent

of men and 25 percent of women die within a year, and for those aged 65

and older, the percentage is even higher. In 1998, $3.6 billion was paid

to Medicare beneficiaries discharged from short-stay hospitals for stroke.

South Fulton

Medical Center, a 392-bed acute care hospital has been affiliated with

the Tenet Healthcare Corporation since April of 2001, when it joined four

other hospitals that comprise Tenet's greater Atlanta network. In addition

to emergency care, the hospital offers cardiac care, physical and occupational

rehabilitation, inpatient oncology, ambulatory surgery and labor and delivery.

The hospital also has a level two neonatal intensive care unit. For more

information on South Fulton Medical Center, go to www.southfultonmedicalcenter.com.

The American

Stroke Association offers a wide array of programs, products and services,

from patient education materials to scientific statements with cutting-edge

information for healthcare professionals. The organization is committed

to remaining the leader in providing credible stroke information to individuals

and healthcare providers. For more information about the American Stroke

Association or its initiatives, visit StrokeAssociation.org or call 1-888-4-STROKE.

For more information about "Get With The Guidelines ­ Stroke,"

e-mail us at [email protected].

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