Saving Seconds and Reducing Door to Needle Time with Dr. Kim Gannon

Every minute that a brain is not getting blood flow during a stroke millions of neurons are dying. So, every minute, every second counts when treating a stroke patient.

That is why ChristianaCare's stroke team has been on a multi-year journey of exploring every element, every step of the initial treatment process and the amount of time it takes to get a patient from coming in the door to getting IV blood thinners - known as Door To Needle (DTN) time.

We take a deep dive into how expert stroke teams bring clarity to chaos whilte working against a ticking clock with Dr. Kim Gannon, medical director of ChristianaCare's Comprehensive Stroke Program. We explore where opportunities to reduce DTN have been found and where they are still available in the high-stakes decisions and protocols that swing the pendulum between recovery and lasting impact. And we understand the impact of the first rule of medicine - do no harm.

Learn how a drive to be exceptional today and even better tomorrow is leading to drastically better outcomes for patients who come to one of the nation's highest volume stroke programs.

Dr. Kim Gannon, an active vascular neurologist, oversees ChristianaCare's stroke program, one of the busiest stroke programs nationwide. She combines the expertise of a clinician with doctorate research to improve both patient and population health in neurological care. Dr. Gannon oversees ChristianaCare's inpatient neurology consultative service, neurocritical care, and neurointerventional surgical services.

Links

• ChristianaCare Stroke Program
• Saying "Thank You" for Lifesaving Stroke Care
• Target: Stroke - When Seconds Count
• Stroke Systems of Care: A Systematic Approach to Saving Neurons

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Chapters

• 0:51 The basics of strokes
• 5:28 Understanding Door to Needle Time
• 9:48 Work to reduce Door to Needle Time
• 15:17 Different kinds of strokes
• 16:27 What to do in case of a stroke