The Stroke Center at University Hospital Extraordinary Care for Area Patients

With its innovative protocols and groundbreaking clinical trials, the Stroke Center at University Hospital is creating the knowledge to heal.

As the first certified stroke center in Kentucky, The Stroke Center provides stroke patients with an aggressive and unique approach to stroke assessment by providing a “fast track” system. The system is designed to diagnose a stroke and begin treatment quickly – saving precious time and, therefore, brain.

We are above the national average in the administration of IV tPA (intravenous tissue plasminogen activator) for acute ischemic stroke. IV tPA must be given within the first three hours of stroke onset and only after ruling out hemorrhagic stroke. In 2007, University Hospital’s Stroke Team treated 13.5% of stroke patients with IV t-PA. The number includes patients who had the drug administered at University Hospital, as well as those patients that had it administered at an outlying hospital after talking with one of our Stroke Neurologists and then the patient was transferred to UofL for management. The national average for tPA administration is 3-5%.

Within 30 minutes of a patient’s arrival, the Stroke Center Team can research patient history, perform neurological exams, blood tests and CT scans. In some instances when time and initial assessment permit, drugs can be administered within the emergency room that can reverse the effects of stroke.

The leaders of this multidisciplinary team are Stroke Center Director, neurologist Kerri Remmel, MD, Ph.D, and Interventional Neurologist and Director of Interventional Neurology at University Hospital, Alex Abou-Chebl, MD.

Under the direction of Dr. Remmel, the University Hospital Stroke Center became the first healthcare facility in Kentucky to receive national accreditation as a primary stroke center.

Department of Interventional Neurology

Dr. Abou-Chebl, who came to the Stroke Center from the Cleveland Clinic, is one of fewer than 15 interventional neurologists in the country.

When the 3-hour treatment window has expired, Dr. Abou-Chebl uses the most advanced technology at University Hospital’s Stroke Center to identify qualified patients whose strokes can be reversed. If a patient qualifies, Dr. Abou-Chebl can use a number of different devices to go into the brains vessels and remove, break-up or pull out the blood clot causing the stroke, thus saving patients from the debilitating affects of stroke.

The Joint Commission accredited Stroke Center has an in-house team of specialists available 24-hours a day, seven days a week to meet the needs of stroke patients. The interdisciplinary team consists of:

All Stroke Center patients have access to leading edge drug therapies through the University Hospital’s clinical trial research.