Half of Americans live more than an hour away from lifesaving stroke care
Wednesday, February 24, 2010 - 12:49
in Health & Medicine
When stroke strikes, choking off blood supply to the brain, every minute counts: Nearly 2 million neurons die each minute a stroke is left untreated, making it a race to recognize symptoms so that lifesaving "clot-busting" drugs can be administered. Forty-five percent of Americans - 135 million people -- are more than an hour away from primary stroke centers, the facilities that are best equipped to care for them if they are stricken by the condition, according to new research led by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine that will be presented February 24 at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference in San Antonio.