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Funded by a $5 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke (NINDS), the UCSD Stroke Center is pioneering new techniques that could potentially extend brain-saving stroke treatment to more patients. The grant, called the Specialized Program of Trnaslational Research in Acute STroke (SPOTRIAS), will support clinical trials in ultrasound diagnosis, remote web-based consultations and hypothermia.
ULTRASOUND DIAGNOSIS To aid in timely stroke diagnosis, UCSD will investigate the use of contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CE-US) in a 288-patient clinical trial. This non-invasive test is administered at the bedside to measure obstruction in blood vessels. The investigators believe that CE-US will provide physicians with immediate feedback to determine if the patient is an appropriate candidate for thrombolytic therapy.
LONG-DISTANCE CONSULTATION Several community hospitals will participate in a UCSD clinical trial that utilizes enhanced, broadband wireless internet technology to allow real-time consultation with the UCSD stroke team over long distances. When a suspected stroke patient arries in the emergency room of a participating hospital, the local physician will send live video of the patient to a wireless, laptop computer operated by the on-call member of the UCSD stroke team. The UCSD stroke specialist then participates in the physical exam while it is taking place, consulting with the community physician and advising in administration of appropriate drugs.
BRAIN COOLINGIn an effort to extend the window for therapeutic intervention after acute ischemic stroke beyond the current three-hour limit, UCSD is also experimenting with hypothermia. Cooling the brain could preserve brain cells longer, allowing physicians to administer thrombolytic therapy up to six hours after stroke onset -- doubling the current time window for this treatment.
In addition, our laboratory focuses on basic and translational research in the area of brain ischemia. Using a variety of experimental approaches, we are interested in understanding relationships between brain injury and behavior deficits. We are also interested in fundamental mechanisms of therapeutic agents, finding new therapies for stroke, and devising improved statistical analysis methods before performing such pharmacological research.
Stroke Center
Perlman Ambulatory Care Center
9350 Campus Point Drive, Suite 1C
La Jolla, CA 92093
(858) 657-8540 |