From biblical times to modern hospitals, timing can make all the difference

From Flickr by Sean MacEntee

Starting out in left field here. One of my favorite books in the Bible is Acts. Why? Because a lot of important events are happening quickly, and timing is critical. The order of events is part of a grand plan there.

I like timing things in life, too. I'm not as good as God with timing, but when my sequence of actions works, it gives me a great deal of satisfaction.

So, I'm interested in this recent story about how workflow processes can be a success, showing how clot busters can be delivered in an hour, even with an MRI:

Two centers -- one academic, one community -- that use MRI as part of an NIH study dropped their median DTN [Jeff's note: DTN stands for door-to-needle, or the time between the patient enters the hospital to the time of stroke treatment] time from 93 to 55 minutes after focusing their workflow processes, Amie Hsia, MD, of MedStar Washington Hospital Stroke Center, and colleagues reported online in Neurology.

Quick MRI might help stroke patients fare better

Makes good sense - better timely information can help make better decisions. Here's an article about a recent study that shows quick MRI helps cut down on unnecessary interventions, and patients fare better:

Rapidly administering an MRI scan of the brain to patients who have had a stroke reduces by half the number of minimally invasive endovascular procedures they receive, procedures that are not always effective and can sometimes be harmful, according to a study published Thursday by researchers at the Cleveland Clinic.

Photo from the
National Institutes of Health

Endovascular procedures to treat stroke, which involve delivering medication or removing clots via catheter, are commonly used to help restore blood flow to the brain when IV clot-busting drugs fail. While they can be helpful for some patients, the procedures also carry risks — including possible further damage to blood vessels and exposure to anesthesia — and have failed to show a benefit to patients in several large trials. ...

Most stroke patients are evaluated for endovascular procedures with a CT scan, he said, which can show bleeding in the brain “but unfortunately really isn’t able to tell you if there’s any damage to the brain due to a blocked blood vessel.”

Strokes are serious, can be deadly and often leave longtime issues. The right treatment - guided by good information - might change that balance.