In 2011, SGMC developed and implemented a new stroke program within the Emergency Department. Known as Code Stroke, it was the first program of its kind south of Macon. Read more about the program’s launch here.
The medical protocol outlines state-of-the-art management of stroke patients beginning with the early recognition of symptoms, appropriate and timely response by Emergency Medical Services and the Emergency Department, and quick intervention with tPA, a clot-busting medication that is used in patients who qualify for the treatment. The goal is to reduce, or possibly eliminate, long-term disability or death caused by strokes.
The Code Stroke program was developed in accordance with nationally accepted standards of stroke care which specify that tPA be given within three hours of the stroke’s onset, if the patient is a candidate for tPA.