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Mobile Stroke Units Enable Hyperacute Interventions for Intracerebral Hemorrhage
Casandra MacLeod1, Andrew Zhang1, Nicolas Thompson2
1Cerebrovascular Center, Neurological Institute, Cleveland Clinic, OH (C.M., A.Z., M. Huang, M.B., J.D., M. Hussain, A.B.B.).
Stroke
|May 27, 2026
Summary
Mobile stroke units (MSUs) significantly speed up diagnosis and treatment for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients. Compared to traditional emergency medical services (EMS), MSUs offer faster care, improving patient outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Mobile stroke units (MSUs) are designed to improve acute stroke care timeliness compared to conventional emergency medical services (EMS).
- Limited data exists on the efficacy of MSUs for intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) patients, unlike acute ischemic stroke.
- This study evaluates the impact of MSUs versus EMS on diagnosis and treatment times for ICH.
Purpose of the Study:
- To compare the effectiveness of Mobile Stroke Units (MSUs) against conventional Emergency Medical Services (EMS) in managing patients with acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
- To assess the impact of MSU transportation on the time to diagnosis and goal-directed treatment for ICH patients.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective analysis compared 218 ICH patients treated by MSU with 192 ICH patients treated by EMS between January 2018 and December 2022.
- Patients were treated at two tertiary institutions: Cleveland Clinic and Stony Brook University.
- Primary outcomes included time to computed tomography (CT) diagnosis, antihypertensive administration, and achieving goal systolic blood pressure (<160 mmHg).
Main Results:
- MSUs reduced time to diagnosis by 28% compared to EMS.
- Antihypertensive medications were administered more promptly in the MSU group, with a 54% reduction in administration time.
- A significantly higher percentage of MSU patients (87%) achieved their blood pressure goal within one hour compared to EMS patients (60%).
Conclusions:
- Mobile stroke units (MSUs) facilitate faster diagnosis and medical interventions for patients experiencing acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH).
- MSU transportation significantly improves the speed of diagnosis and initiation of goal-directed medical treatment for ICH patients compared to conventional EMS.
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