MOBILE
STROKE UNIT

What is a stroke?

Stroke occurs when blood flow to the brain is interrupted by a blockage or a rupture in an artery, depriving brain tissue of oxygen. It is the fourth leading cause of death in the United States and a leading cause of disability. Close to 800,000 Americans suffer a stroke each year. Most suffer ischemic stroke, which occurs when blood flow to the brain is obstructed by a clot in a blood vessel. Fortunately, ischemic stroke can be treated effectively with a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA), a drug that if administered within three hours of the first signs of stroke dissolves a clot to improve blood flow back to the affected part of the brain. Unfortunately, it can take an hour after a stroke patient arrives in the ED to receive treatment because of the time needed to determine which kind of stroke the patient is having. If only there was a faster way to diagnose stroke patients with a readily available CT scanner.

What is a Mobile Stroke Unit?

A mobile stroke unit (MSU) is a specialized ambulance or other emergency medical vehicle that is equipped with a CereTom® CT (computed tomography) scanner. The mobile unit with diagnostic CT imaging capabilities allows the team onboard to quickly assess whether a patient is having a stroke caused by a blood clot or hemorrhage. If it is determined to be caused by a blood clot, the clot-buster tPA (tissue plasminogen activator) can be administered immediately.

CERETOM-EQUIPPED MOBILE STROKE UNITS

Samsung’s CereTom is the only true portable CT scanner available on the market today for this application and is the critical component in a mobile stroke unit. All existing Mobile Stroke Unit Programs are equipped with a CereTom and demand continues to grow worldwide for this exciting technology.

United States MSU Programs

Ohio

• Cleveland

• Toledo

Texas

• Houston

Colorado

• Denver

INTERNATIONAL MSU PROGRAMS

Germany

• Homburg

• Berlin

For further information, below is a list of studies, white papers, and published literature on CereTom-equipped Mobile Stroke Units

Research

• Cerejo, R., et al. (2015) “A Mobile Stroke Treatment Unit for Field Triage of Patients for Intraarterial Revascularization Therapy”,Journal of Neuroimaging, 25(6), 940–945; Available from:http://doi.org/10.1111/jon.12276

• Ebinger, M., et al. (2014a) “Effect of the use of ambulance-based thrombolysis on time to thrombolysis in acute ischemic stroke: A randomized clinical trial”,JAMA, 311(16), 1622–1631; Available from: http://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.2850

• Fassbender, K., et al. (2013) “Streamlining of prehospital stroke management: The Golden Hour”,Lancet Neurology, 12(6), 585–596; Available from: http://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(13)70100-5

• Fassbender, K., et al. (2003) “Mobile stroke unit for hyperacute stroke treatment”,Stroke, 34, e44; Available from:http://doi.org/10.1161/01.STR.0000075573.22885.3B

• Gierhake, D., et al. (2012) “Mobile CT: Technical Aspects of Prehospital Stroke Imaging before Intravenous Thrombolysis”,RöFo-Fortschritte Auf; Available from: 
  http://www.researchgate.net/publication/232235914_Mobile_CT_Technical_Aspects_of_Prehospital_Stroke_Imaging_before

• Grotta, J.C. (2013) “Stroke Special Report: Mobile Stroke Unit Hits the Road in Houston”,Touch Medical Media, US Neurology; Available from: http://www.touchneurology.com/system/files/private/articles/11340/pdf

• Klein, K.E., et al. (2015) “Teleneurocritical Care and Telestroke”,Critical Care Clinic, 31(2), 197–224; Available from:http://doi.org/10.1016/j.ccc.2014.12.002

• Walter, S., et al. (2012) “Diagnosis and treatment of patients with stroke in a mobile stroke unit versus in hospital: A randomised controlled trial”,Lancet Neurology, 11(5), 397–404; Available from: http://doi.org/10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70057-1

• Walter, S., et al. (2010) “Bringing the hospital to the patient: First treatment of stroke patients at the emergency site”,PLoS ONE, 5(10), e13758; Available from: http://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0013758

• Weber, J.E., et al. (2013) “Prehospital thrombolysis in acute stroke: Results of the PHANTOM-S pilot study”,Neurology, 80(2), 163–168; Available from: http://doi.org/10.1212/WNL.0b013e31827b90e5