Time: It’s part of what makes KHSC’s acute stroke team tick

We’re kind of a big deal.

The last time we checked, Kingston Health Sciences Centre’s Regional Stroke Centre of Southeastern Ontario was still the fastest centre – of the 11 in Ontario – to remove clots and restore blood flow to the brain with Endovascular Treatment (EVT). And we’ve been the fastest for seven straight years.

Fast, world-class treatment can result in longer lives for Kingston-area residents and the 60 per cent of patients who live elsewhere (Belleville, Bancroft, Brockville, Gananoque, Napanee, Perth, Picton, SmithsFalls, Trenton and surrounding areas) and are transported by Paramedic Services to KHSC to receive EVT.

During EVT, a small catheter is inserted into the patient’s leg and is then navigated, using special imaging equipment, into the brain to remove the clot causing the stroke. This happens in one of KHSC’s Interventional Radiology angiography suites.

Take a look at these impressive KHSC times to get from the Emergency Department door to:

• The CT scan suite: 9 minutes (provincial target is 15 mins.)
• Start of EVT: 39 minutes (provincial target is 60 mins.)
• Remove clot and restore blood flow: 57 minutes (provincial target is 90 mins.)

Every minute saved means fewer brain cells die from lack of oxygen.

“We’re the fastest treating regional stroke centre in Ontario because we rely on and trust everyone to take charge on their turf without hesitation,” says stroke neurologist Dr. Al Jin.

Last year, KHSC completed 100 EVT cases, that’s up 11 per cent from the previous year. It’s also a huge jump from the 10 cases completed in 2016 when KHSC first began providing the treatment.