When it comes to a stroke, every minute matters. The phrase is not an exaggeration: in a cerebral infarction, the brain can lose millions of neurons per minute. Therefore, reducing response times is essential. But it’s not just about running: it’s about deciding well from the first moment.
Thus arises the concept of “neuroprotegid area”, a new paradigm in the prehospital care of the stroke that proposes a strategic and integrated approach: to train the non -medical staff of key institutions to recognize the symptoms of ACV, activate clear protocols and achieve a direct transfer to specialized centers in record time.
The program was developed together between the Argentine Neurological Society (SNA) and the Medical Directorate of the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Nation, where it was applied as a pilot experience. The results were overwhelming: before the program, the average initial attention time exceeded 140 minutes; Then, the protocol was activated in less than 30.
But this strategy not only improves times. The logic changes: instead of transferring the patient to the nearest hospital, it is prioritized to take it directly to the one who can offer the most appropriate treatments, such as thrombectomy. This implies moving from a “protocol-dependent” model to a “patient-dependent.”
This new approach would be complemented excellently with the incorporation of geriatric evaluation models in the urgency (CGA), as recommended by the European geriatric medicine society, which allows a more comprehensive vision of older people, who are the most affected by ACV.
In times where medicine seeks to be more precise, more human and more efficient, this proposal marks the way. Converting each institution into a potential neuroprotegid area could mean the difference between autonomy and dependence, between life and death.
BIBLIOGRAPHY CONSULTED:
1. Alet, M., Persia, G., Esnaola, Mm, Zárate, A., Di Leo, P., Rodrigues Dos Reis, J., Leone, H., & Halac, M. (2025). Neuroprotegida area program. A new concept in optimization of prehospital care of stroke. Argentine neurology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nearg.2025.03.002
2. European Task Force for Geriatric Emergency Medicine. (2022). Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment in the Emergency Department (Gerieme-P01-EN, V210922). European Society for Emergency Medicine (Eusem) and European Geriatric Medicine Society (Eugms). Available at: https://pospters.geriemeurope.eu/postrs/p01
Author’s contact:
Dr.andrea V. Rodriguez
Neurologist and geriatrician.
Member of the Argentine Society of Gerontology and Geriatrics.
@amomisneuronas │ [email protected]
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