AEM Early Access 39: Access to Comprehensive Stroke Care in the Face of Traffic

<p class="" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Early access to specialized stroke care is critically important in the treatment of suspected acute stroke, but access to dedicated stroke centers is unequal and varies geographically. Among the different levels of hospitals providing stroke care, the comprehensive stroke center (CSC) is the highest designation. In many systems of stroke care, if transport to a CSC is expected to take less than a certain number of minutes, the patient is taken to the CSC even if a non-CSC hospital is closer. Transport time–based decisions like these, however, could be significantly impacted during times of heavy traffic. This study examines this potential in LA County.</p>