Legislation introduced in the state Senate would update the state’s EMS protocols for one of the most serious types of strokes.

Sen. Elder Vogel, R-Beaver/Butler/Lawrence, has introduced Senate Bill 1311 to improve the state’s EMS triage and transport protocols for stroke. He takes particular aim at Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion, a type of stroke that results from a blockage in one of the major arteries of the brain. The blockage disrupts higher-order brain function, which means LVO strokes tend to be more severe for patients.

“‘Time is brain’ when it comes to ELVO, which is the result of a blood clot within an artery of the brain,” Vogel wrote in his legislative justification. “As the clot restricts the flow of blood and oxygen to the brain, up to two million brain cells are killed each minute, reducing the odds a patient will experience a full recovery. To ensure stroke patients afflicted with ELVO receive the timely treatment necessary to save their lives, they must be transported to a Comprehensive (Level 1) Stroke Center.”

In 2017, Pennsylvania Act 4 established a tiered designation system for hospitals to become certified as stroke centers based on their ability to treat stroke. The initial designations included: Comprehensive Stroke Center (Level 1), Primary Stroke Center (Level 2) and Acute Stroke-Ready Hospital (Level 3). The Department of Health has since adopted a fourth designation known as Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center (Level 2), though the only two such centers are located in Delaware and Philadelphia counties.

The closest Comprehensive Stroke Centers to Warren County is UPMC Hamot in Erie, according to the state Health Department. The Penn Highlands-Elk Hospital in St. Mary’s is classified as an acute stroke-ready hospital and is roughly the same distance away from Warren, but doesn’t have the classification Vogel is recommending for LVO strokes.

“My legislation would update the state’s Basic Life Support (BLS) protocols to simply provide additional guidance for EMS when it comes to triaging and transporting patients afflicted with severe cases of stroke such as Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion (ELVO), the deadliest type of stroke, given the urgent need for lifesaving treatment to ensure the best outcome,” Vogel wrote. “It is guidance which mirrors the trauma model of care where patients in critical condition are transported by EMS directly to level 1 trauma centers.”

Vogel’s bill has bipartisan support among its co-sponsors. It has been referred to the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, which is chaired by Sen. Michele Brooks, R-Crawford/Erie/Mercer/Warren.