Strokes must be treated immediately for the best patient outcomes. For more about stroke, visit http://www.barnesjewish.org/neuroscie...

We often say in the stroke world that time is brain. The longer that a person's brain goes without blood and oxygen, the more likely that part of the brain is to die. Before a patient even arrives at Barnes-Jewish Hospital with signs of a stroke from a blood clot, the specialized stroke team has been activated and Washington University physicians are ready. There is a small window in which clot busting medication can be given and every second counts.

At Barnes-Jewish Hospital, there are excellent "door to needle" times, offering clot busting drugs as soon as humanly possible.

"As soon as we got to the emergency department, the stroke team descended upon him and there was no hesitation," says Carolyn Hanna of her experience at Barnes Jewish Hospital. "We were so grateful that we were in a hospital that knew immediately what to do."

Washington University Physicians are researching ways to stop relying solely on the clock. Doctors are using MR-OMI technology to try to identify which patients have brain tissue that can be saved with clot busting drugs. This has the potential to truly change the way stroke is treated.

The hope is that all stroke patients are able to return to their daily lives.

For more information about stroke treatment, visit http://www.barnesjewish.org/neuroscie....