North Dakota Mission: Lifeline®
Mission: Lifeline Stroke is a program for transforming stroke care by focusing efforts on connecting all of the components of acute stroke care into a smoothly integrated system that reinforces use of evidence-based guidelines, measures performance, identifies gaps, and engages in improvement projects at a systems level. The stroke system of care begins with community recognition and preparedness to identify stroke and continues all the way through hospital discharge, into rehabilitation and the initiation of secondary prevention. It brings together hospitals, ambulance services, non-transport medical first response agencies, emergency communications centers, emergency medical service regulatory and medical direction agencies, local government, local media, and payers to forge a proactive system of stroke care that saves and improves lives.
The American Heart Association and American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) requested that its National Mission: Lifeline Stroke Committee craft a consensus algorithm that was subsequently reviewed by numerous stroke committees within the organization. This algorithm seeks to balance the benefits of rapid, early access to EVT for patients with suspected LVO with the potential harm of delayed initiation of IV Alteplase. A thorough review of current guidelines and studies was conducted to help develop the algorithm. As with any algorithm, it should augment but not replace clinician judgment and may need tailoring to address the needs of the communities that implement it.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the number one leading cause of death in the US and North Dakota. According to Heart Disease and Stroke Statistics—2017 Update A Report From the American Heart Association An estimated 92.1 million US adults have at least 1 type of CVD. By 2030, 43.9% of the US adult population is projected to have some form of CVD. Stroke is the second-leading cause of death in the world and a leading cause of adult disability, with ischemic strokes accounting for about 87% of all strokes. Every year, approximately 795,000 people in the United States will have a stroke. About 610,000 of these are first or new strokes. One in four are recurrent strokes.
Time is of the essence. Two million brain cells die every minute during stroke, increasing risk of permanent brain damage, disability or death. Recognizing symptoms and acting FAST to get medical attention can save a life and limit disabilities. ND Mission: Lifeline Stroke’s innovative regional collaboration will work to ensure compatibility, consistent training and uniform protocols for both transporting and treating stroke patients across the state. The foundation of this initiative was a three-year grant from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust.
Staff Leads:
Mindy Cook, BSN |Sr. Quality and Systems Improvement Director
American Heart Association
2750 Blue Water Road, Suite 250, Eagan, MN 55121
Office:
Email: [email protected]
Janna Pietrzak, RN, BSN | Mission: Lifeline Stroke Stroke Director
American Heart Association
1005 Twelfth Ave SE
Jamestown, ND 58401
Phone:
Email: [email protected]
Resources
- AHA GWTG Improvement Registry Login(link opens in new window)
- ND Mission: Lifeline Acute Coronary Syndrome, NSTEMI, and STEMI Clinical Practice Guidelines (PDF)(link opens in new window)
- North Dakota Stroke Rehabilitation Guide (PDF)
Webinars:
- ND Acute Stroke Guideline Overview Webinar
- ND Stroke Triage and Transfer Guideline Webinar
- ND TIA Guideline Webinar
North Dakota Mission Lifeline Conferences
