MDNews - Long Island

Director of the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center and Co-director of the Medical Center's Neurological Intensive Care Unit, Kimon Bekelis, MD, is one of the most prominent researchers in stroke care, treatment and population health in the nation. to sa fely tra nsition patients a nd ca n be lifesaving in ma ny cases." TIME IS BRAIN ON THE SOUTH SHORE To ensure that patients receive ca re as quick ly a s possible, tea m members at the Stroke & Bra in A neur ysm Center a re ava i lable 24/7 v ia cel l phone a nd pager. Lines of communication rema in open at a ll times, a nd the tea m meets frequently to discuss patient cases. " We have a cces s t o a l l t he h i g h ly trained specia lists that practice at Good Sa ma rita n, such as neurolog ists, ca r- diologists, emergency room physicians, internists, genera l surgeons a nd more. This a l lows us to sa fely ta ke ca re of these very complex patients," Dr. Bekelis says. " We've a lso expa nded our stroke neurolog y component with more spe- cia lized stroke-cer tif ied neurolog ists on ca ll who ca n assess patients before they go to neurointer vention to fur ther strea mline the process." C o l l a b o r a t i o n i s n ' t c o n f i n e d t o t he wa l ls of G ood Sa ma r ita n . O t her institutions in the a rea that a re pa r t of CHS, such a s St . Joseph Hospita l, St. Charles Hospital and St. Catherine of Siena Medical Center, operate on a hub- and-spoke model that funnels neurological patients to the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center. The model ensures patients in the area receive care in the quickest man- ner possible. "Because Good Samaritan is part of the CHS system, we can create programs that allow us to transfer patients without roadblocks," Dr. Bekelis says. "We want to expand the program as much as possible in our area and create mechanisms so that patients can receive care within minutes." The initiative to provide more rapid neurological interventions to South Shore residents was one of the main reasons that the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center was developed and why it was planned at Good Samaritan. Tha nks to successful recruitment ef for ts, methodica l pla nning a nd the dedication of dozens of professiona ls, the Stroke & Bra in A neur ysm Center a t G o o d S a m a r it a n of fer s c r it ic a l , high-qua lit y neurolog ica l ca re to the c om mu n it y, a nd t he t ea m hope s t o incorporate more hospita ls in its hub- a nd-spoke model in the future. ■ Patients may a lso need to stay in the neurologica l ICU if they have undergone treatment for a r uptured bra in a neu- r ysm, since the ef fects of bleeding in the brain can be sustained for days after the incident. The intense monitoring in the neurolog ica l ICU helps ma ke sure that a ny complications ca n be swif tly prevented or ma naged. Patients who have spent time in the neu rolog ic a l IC U requ i re a c a ref u l tra nsition to rehabi litation or life at home. To a id i n t h i s t ra n sit ion a nd prov ide cont i nu it y of ca re f rom t he cr itica l ca re set ting, a four-bed step dow n un it is located adjacent to t he neu rolog ica l ICU w it h i n t he St roke & Bra in A neur ysm Center. The sa me nurses and advanced practice providers f rom t he neu rolog ica l ICU st a f f t he step down unit in rotating shif ts, with neurointensivists providing oversight for both units. " If we see a ny cha nge i n a patient w ith the step dow n unit, that patient ca n immediately be moved back into the neurologica l ICU," Dr. Bekelis says. " This bridge between the critica l ca re setting a nd the hospita l f loor a llows us 1 0C O V E R F E A T U R E Kimon Bekelis, MD DR. BEK ELIS IS the Chair of Neuro- interventional Services for Catholic Health Services (CHS) of Long Island and the Director of the Stroke & Brain Aneurysm Center at Good Samaritan Hospital Medical Center. Dr. Bekelis is also the Director of the Population Health Research Institute of New York at CHS and an Assistant Professor at the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. After finishing his medical school education, he spent a year as a postdoctoral research fellow in neu- rosurgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital. He completed his neurosurgery residency at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center, where he served as the chief resident, and his fellowship in cerebrovascular and endovascular neurosurgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, one of the largest stroke centers in the country. 1 0

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