Michigan hospital first to receive Joint Commission certification for thrombectomy

St. Joseph Mercy Oakland in Pontiac, Michigan, is the first hospital certified by the Joint Commission as a thrombectomy-capable stroke center (TSC), according to a March 21 press release.

The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (AHA/ASA) created the TSC certification to recognize hospitals adept in performing endovascular thrombectomy, a catheter-based procedure to remove a blood clot from the brain during an ischemic stroke. Timely treatment with thrombectomy has been proven to reduce disability and death caused by stroke.

To receive the certification, hospitals must have performed thrombectomy at least 15 times in the past year or 30 times over the past two years and demonstrate the ability to perform the operation around the clock. Also, its primary neurointerventionalists “must meet the highest standards of subspecialty training,” according to The Joint Commission’s announcement.

“With the recent advances in endovascular therapies for acute ischemic stroke, it’s important to recognize hospitals which can perform this critical intervention safely and effectively, and we commend St. Joseph Mercy Oakland on being the first to receive this designation,” said Edward C. Jauch, MD, chairman of the AHA/ASA’s hospital accreditation stroke subcommittee. “The new TSC certification is a critical piece of regional stroke systems of care, especially where Comprehensive Stroke Centers may be too far for patients with presumed large vessel occlusions to travel in a timely fashion.”