The research arm of the Duke Stroke Center, the Duke Center for Cerebrovascular Disease was founded in 1966 through a partnership of the National Institutes of Health and the Veterans Administration.

The Duke Stroke Center -- which has since grown to include neurologists, emergency physicians, clinicians, and scientists throughout Duke Medicine -- has earned an international reputation as a leader in the study and care of strokes. The Joint Commission for the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has recognized the Center with a Primary Stroke Center certificate of distinction.

Our Acute Stroke Response Team is available for immediate patient evaluation and management, and we integrate the care of stroke patients from before they arrive in the Emergency Department through any necessary inpatient care and rehabilitation.

A multidisciplinary supervisory team continuously monitors the quality of all stroke-related care at Duke. We typically admit patients suffering from acute stroke to the Duke University Hospital Neurosciences Step-Down Unit, where we can provide specialized evaluation and care for as many as ten patients.

Patients who need more complex stroke care are admitted to the adjacent 16-bed Neurosciences Intensive Care Unit. Fifty-two Neurosciences Intermediate Care beds are also available for patients who require additional assessment and treatment after they are stabilized. Staff members in each of these units are specially trained to care for stroke patients.

In addition to conducting ongoing research studies and clinical trials, many Stroke Center faculty and staff members also work to improve stroke awareness and care regionally and throughout North Carolina by training local emergency medical personnel. We also work with the state to maintain an effective and standardized system of stroke care for all residents.

Awards

• Duke Neuroscience was ranked #20 in the nation by U.S.News & World Report in 2008
• Duke University is one of three recipients of the American Stroke Association-Bugher Foundation Centers for Stroke Prevention Research