Every year, about 15,000 people in Israel suffer from strokes, with 2,000 of them in the Jerusalem area. After a person suffers a stroke, every minute without treatment means the loss of about 2 million brain cells. The time we have to treat the patient from the first stroke symptoms are up to four and a half hours for drugs-based treatment and eight hours for surgical treatment (urgent brain catheter). Invasive treatment is not always relevant for all patients. In Israel today, only a small percentage of patients receive appropriate treatment in real time, mainly due to delays in getting to the Emergency Room. The location of a hospital that also serves as a trauma center for stroke treatment is a critical factor in providing the best possible response in severe stroke situations. Hence Shaare Zedek is perfectly situated in central Jerusalem. The Stroke Unit at the Shaare Zedek Medical Center, together with the Emergency Neurological Department, is ready at all times to provide fast and professional treatment. Patients are rushed into the Trauma Unit where they undergo rapid evaluation (with the help of the CT Institute) and the doctors decide on drugs-based treatment (thrombolysis) or invasive treatment (brain catheter), as needed. Patients who have experienced a mini-stroke or a transient stroke should go to our special TIA (Transient Ischemic Attack) service within 24 hours for evaluation and monitoring. Due to the mostly urgent nature of these cases, we operate a process ensuring fast registration and no waiting or delays for evaluation and treatment.
