American Heart Association Launches Initiative to Improve Surgical Outcomes for Hemorrhagic Stroke Patients

The American Heart Association has announced a nationwide initiative to enhance surgical treatments for hemorrhagic strokes, a condition responsible for over 40% of stroke-related deaths despite accounting for only 13% of stroke cases in the U.S. The Hemorrhagic Stroke Surgical Quality Improvement Initiative, supported by Stryker, focuses on promoting effective surgical approaches, including minimally invasive techniques like minimally invasive parafascicular surgery (MIPS), to improve patient outcomes.

Research indicates that MIPS, when performed within 24 hours of a brain bleed, may lead to better recovery outcomes at six months compared to standard treatments. The initiative will involve fifteen hospitals across the U.S., selected for their leadership in MIPS and readiness to expand intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) surgical options. These hospitals will analyze ICH care data and clinical workflows to identify successful models that could be scaled nationally.

Kevin Sheth, M.D., FAHA, emphasized the importance of data sharing and accelerated learning in improving stroke care. The initiative leverages data from the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines® - Stroke registry, which tracks a significant portion of the nation's stroke hospitalizations, to identify and amplify effective ICH care models.

This initiative represents a critical step forward in addressing the lack of standardized surgical treatment protocols for hemorrhagic strokes, offering hope for improved recovery and reduced mortality rates for patients affected by these devastating brain bleeds. For more information, visit https://heart.org/ICHSurgical.