Brain & Nervous System Stroke Living With Print How Mobile Stroke Units Save Lives Stroke Patients Can Get Faster Emergency Stroke Treatment Medically reviewed by Medically reviewed by Claudia Chaves, MD on February 09, 2016 Claudia Chaves, MD is board-certified in cerebrovascular disease and neurology, with a subspecialty certification in vascular neurology. Learn about our Medical Review Board Claudia Chaves, MD Written by facebook linkedin Written by Heidi Moawad, MD Heidi Moawad is a neurologist and expert in the field of brain health and neurological disorders. Dr. Moawad regularly writes and edits health and career content for medical books and publications. Learn about our editorial policy Heidi Moawad, MD Updated on May 06, 2019 Stroke Overview Symptoms Causes Diagnosis Treatment Coping Cleveland Clinic Mobile Stroke Unit. Cleveland Clinic Mobile stroke units were first introduced in Germany and found to be successful in treating stroke patients within the first hour of initial stroke symptoms. The first mobile stroke unit in the United States was launched in Houston, Texas at the University of Texas Health Science Center in May 2014 and another mobile stroke unit system was established on the city of Cleveland by the Cleveland Clinic in 2015. So far, results have been promising. What is a mobile stroke unit? A mobile stroke unit is an ambulance equipped with a mobile CT scanner to obtain on-the-spot brain imaging for patients who might have a stroke, instead of waiting to obtain a Brain CT scan when patients arrive to the hospital. A mobile stroke unit also has laboratory equipment, telemedicine capabilities and high-speed wireless transmission of data so that doctors can quickly determine whether the patient is a candidate for emergency stroke treatment. Mobile stroke units may also be prepared to administer Tissue Plasminogen Activator (tPA) on board. What are the benefits of a mobile stroke unit? The most effective stroke treatment, tPA, is a powerful blood thinner that must be given to patients shortly after the initial symptoms of a stroke begin. In recent years, emergency departments in hospitals across the country have implemented ways to recognize and evaluate stroke patients for safe and effective treatment with better overall patient outcomes than in the past. However, the time window for treatment with tPA is very short, because if a patient gets tPA after the short time period has elapsed, it would cause more harm than good due to bleeding complications. That means that most patients do not get appropriate stroke treatment because it usually takes too long for stroke patients to get to the hospital. And, there is evidence that even within the short window of allowed time for tPA, the sooner stroke patients get it, the less severe the overall effects of the stroke. So with mobile stroke units, valuable time is saved by getting the best medical treatment possible to stroke patients on the way to the hospital or as soon as they arrive to the hospital. This increases patient survival and improves outcome for stroke survivors. The University of Texas Health Science Center did a study on the outcomes of their mobile stroke unit, The Benefits of Stroke Treatment Delivered Using a Mobile Stroke Unit (BEST-MSU) study. Results showed that patients were able to receive appropriate treatment within 60 minutes of their initial stroke symptoms and there were no reports of bleeding complications of stroke treatment. What does it mean for you if your city has a mobile stroke unit? The Cleveland Clinic, in cooperation with Cleveland emergency medical systems (EMS) recently instituted a plan for a mobile stroke unit for residents of the city of Cleveland. Based on the arrangement, patients who need mobile stroke unit care are given the same treatment regardless of their ability to pay. Patients have the neurological evaluation and Brain CT scan on route to the nearest hospital equipped to treat emergency stroke patients, while the plan for treatment is started prior to the patient's arrival. This means that if you live in a city with a mobile stroke unit, you are more likely to have a faster stroke evaluation and a speedier treatment time. The whole idea of a mobile stroke unit is a very new one, and practical ways to evaluate the real life patient benefits and to make it more widely available will most likely be one of the new directions of stroke care over the coming years. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign up for our Health Tip of the Day newsletter, and receive daily tips that will help you live your healthiest life. Sign Up You're in! Thank you, {{form.email}}, for signing up. There was an error. Please try again. What are your concerns? Other Inaccurate Hard to Understand Submit Article Sources Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read our editorial policy to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Establishing the First Mobile Stroke Unit in the United States, Parker SA, Bowry R., Wu TC, Noser EA, Jackson K., Richardson L., Persse D, Grotta JC. Stroke, May 2015 Benefits of Stroke Treatment Using a Mobile Stroke Unit Compared With Standard Management: The BEST-MSU Study Run-In Phase, Bowry R., Parker S., Rajan SS, Yamal JM, Wu TC., Richardson L., Noser E, Persse D., Jackson K, Grotta JC, Stroke, December 2015 Stroke Management and the Impact of Mobile Stroke Treatment Units, Rasmussen PA, Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine, December 2015 Continue Reading