A new policy shift may save the lives of more LA County stoke victims.
Paramedics have begun transporting suspected stroke victims to the nearest certified stroke center similar to other California urban counties.
The policy shift, which went into effect Monday will route patients to 10 hospitals, including one in Orange County, that have a specialized stroke neurologist available at all times, the Los Angeles Times reported.
Those facilities can run blood tests and brain scans, as well as offer rehabilitation services, Dr. Bill Koenig, medical director at the L.A. County Emergency Medical Services Agency, told the newspaper.
But physicians say that for stroke victims to benefit from the change, the public needs to be aware of stroke symptoms in case a co-worker or loved one starts to show them, and immediately call 911, according to The Times.
The five "sudden symptoms" of stroke are weakness on one side of the body, severe headache and difficulty speaking, walking or seeing. In general, hospitals have less than three hours after the onset of symptoms to begin aggressive treatment of a blood clot in the brain.
Hospitals now designated to handle strokes leave South Los Angeles, San Gabriel Valley and Antelope Valley underserved, but officials told The Times they believe other facilities will seek certification.
