The American Heart Association’s "Get With The Guidelines" database says Beehive State Leads U.S. in “Door to Needle” Stroke Care in Less than 45 Minutes
(PRUnderground) May 12th, 2025
When it comes to stroke care, Utahns are getting the fastest treatment in the nation – saving lives and precious brain cells, according to new data from the American Heart Association’s “Get With The Guidelines” database.
Thanks to state-of-the-art medications and innovative treatment protocols that utilize multi-disciplinary medical teams to mobilize immediate care for stroke patients and close coordination with first responders, Intermountain Health hospitals are helping to contribute to Utah’s #1 placement in the nation.
According to the AHA’s “Get With The Guidelines” database, 94.5% of stroke patients at Intermountain Health stroke centers (Intermountain Medical Center, McKay-Dee, St. George Regional, and Utah Valley Hospitals) receive life-saving clot-busting medication treatment within 45 minutes or less of their arrival to an emergency department.
The national stroke database in conjunction with the American Heart Association ranked Utah as the top-performing state in the nation in meeting the AHA target of door-to-needle time (less than 45 minutes) for 87.1% of stroke patients.
Strokes, which occur when a part of the brain is damaged due to a problem with blood flow,
are the fifth leading cause of death in the United States. 1 in 20 adult deaths are due to strokes.
Quick medical treatment during a stroke is one of the most important factors in determining a good outcome. If a stroke does occur, there are treatments available to prevent long term brain injury. These treatments are focused on restoring blood flow to the brain to prevent brain tissue from dying due to lack of blood flow.
Treatments include a blood clot dissolving medication called tPA and a procedure that uses a catheter to pull blood clots out of large arteries in the brain. Both treatments can significantly reduce potential disability but are very time sensitive.
“During a stroke, every minute that passes leads to irreversible brain injury and to more severe long-term symptoms for patients,” said Paul Johnson, MD, Intermountain Health stroke neurologist and medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Program at Intermountain Medical Center in Murray. “Neurologists often say that ‘time is brain’ as a reminder that any delay in treatment leads to a loss of brain function. Our ‘time is brain’ mantra focuses everything we do on getting patients the right care, as quickly as possible.”
In early 2024, Ed “Ted” Itchon found himself disoriented and on the floor when he went to use his bathroom around 2 am.
His wife, Ann, heard the commotion and went into the bathroom to find Itchon face down and moaning. She knew something was wrong and quickly called 911.
The paramedics quickly arrived at the Itchon home in West Valley City and noticed Itchon’s left side of his face was drooping and entire left side paralyzed as they helped him. He was having a stroke, and he was quickly rushed to Intermountain Medical Center in Murray.
At the hospital, a specialized stroke team led by Dr. Johnson administered a tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) medication to dissolve the blot clot in Itchon’s brain. Dr. Johnson was Itchon’s stroke neurologist who assessed and treated him with the tPA in the ER as well as coordinated his initial care and next steps.
Itchon was then reunited with Ann where she was able to express her love for him and assure him that all would be well.
He was then taken into surgery where a thrombectomy was successfully performed to remove the blood clot in his brain.
Itchon is one of several patients to have a successful and relatively speedy recovery thanks to the quick door to needle time as well as speech, physical therapy, and acupuncture for some effects the stroke impacted on his foot.
The Intermountain Health neurosciences team is focused on saving brain and improving outcomes for stroke patients because every second a person is having a stroke, 32,000 neurons die.
Ultimately, Utah is saving the most brain in the country.
Intermountain Health’s neurosciences department makes a continuous focus to evaluate and treat stroke patients as rapidly as possible.
“Protocols and policies are continuously being improved to make treatment more efficient,” said Dr. Johnson.
“In recent years, they have changed the workflow in the emergency department to expedite CT imaging, as well as procedures for preparing and administering clot busting medications.”
Additionally, Intermountain Medical Center is one of the few large hospitals in the country in which stroke patients are evaluated by attending neurologists 24/7.
Over 88% of patients receive treatment in 30 minutes or less, compared to 58% for other Joint Commission Certified comprehensive stroke centers. In 2024 the median door to needle time was a remarkable 22.5 minutes, compared to 34 minutes for other comprehensive centers.
The Itchons are grateful for Ted’s medical team who contributed to saving his life.
“It was fantastic that everyone reacted so quickly- from the fire department to the doctors,” said Ann. “Ted was already given the blood clot medicine and was being prepped for surgery by the time I arrived at the hospital. They caught the stroke really fast.”
“Faster treatment of a stroke leads to better outcomes, but doing so safely requires the collaboration of many different teams and health care providers, ranging from medics to Emergency Medicine doctors, nurses and stroke neurologists,” said Dr. Johnson. “At Intermountain Health, we are proud that our stroke program and high-quality care has contributed to the overall success in the state.”
About Intermountain Health
Headquartered in Utah with locations in six states and additional operations across the western U.S., Intermountain Health is a not-for-profit system of 34 hospitals, approximately 400 clinics, medical groups with some 4,600 employed physicians and advanced care providers, a health plans division called Select Health with more than one million members, and other health services. Helping people live the healthiest lives possible, Intermountain is committed to improving community health and is widely recognized as a leader in transforming healthcare by using evidence-based best practices to consistently deliver high-quality outcomes at sustainable costs. For up-to-date information and announcements, please see the Intermountain Health newsroom at https://intermountainhealthcare.org/news.
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Original Press Release.