Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) and Cetronia Ambulance Corps have announced a jointly-operated new mobile stroke unit, said to be the first in Pennsylvania.

The mobile stroke unit will allow evaluation and treatment sooner, potentially preventing damage to the brain while the patient is transported to a stroke-certified facility like Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH) - Cedar Crest’s Comprehensive Stroke Center.

“Mobile stroke care could improve intervention time by up to 20 to 30 minutes, which could have a significant impact on the outcome for the patient,” said neurologist Yevgeniy Isayev, MD, Director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at LVH - Cedar Crest.

The Stroke Center was certified in 2012 by The Joint Commission as the first Comprehensive Stroke Center in Pennsylvania, the highest level of certification. LVHN’s Comprehensive Stroke Center cares for more than 1,500 stroke patients annually.

The mobile stroke unit, expected to become operational in mid-April, will be stationed at Cetronia headquarters, South Whitehall Township, where its emergency communications center will manage deployment.

LVHN and Cetronia will provide clinical staff, including EMTs and Paramedics from Cetronia, and neurologic physicians from LVHN.

“Cetronia is proud to partner with Lehigh Valley Health Network on this latest innovation in rapid response care for stroke victims,” said Larry Wiersch, CEO, Cetronia Ambulance Corps.

“As a leader in emergency medical services, we see this as yet another meaningful opportunity to advance the quality of pre-hospital care for families in our community,” Wiersch said.

Isayev said the mobile stroke unit will be equipped with computed tomography (CT) and video and telehealth technology to help caregivers determine what type of stroke the patient is experiencing and begin treatment before arriving at the hospital. The unit equips qualified first-responders with clot-busting and blood-thickening medications to administer to the patient enroute.