OTTAWA — A year-long experiment involving the Franklin County EMS ambulance service and stroke treatment has been called a major success. Under the experimental procedures established by the Kansas University Medical Center, Ransom Memorial Hospital, and the EMS people suffering from a stroke are treated with the same speed as those having heart attacks. The idea is that like heart attacks, time is of the essence in treating strokes, said Franklin County EMS director Nick Robbins. Treatment begins immediately in the ambulance once it’s determined the patient is undergoing a stroke, he said. Once testing at RMH zeroes in on the type of stroke, treatment continues at the hospital, or the patient is taken directly to KU Med Center, which has a new high-tech stroke treatment center, Robbins said. Robbins said the results of faster treatment have been nearly miraculous in preventing disability, or death. “I see people who are now going home instead of going to another facility,” he said. Franklin County has been approached by other counties interested in adopting the same procedures, he said. Stroke is the third leading cause of death worldwide, and the leading cause of death for women.
Wednesday, Dec. 24, 4 p.m.
