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​​Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center and Stroke Rehabilitation at UPMC Mercy

UPMC Mercy is certified as a Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center by The Joint Commission and the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association. This is a distinguished certification earned by an elite group of hospitals recognized for providing state-of-the-art care for the most complex stroke cases.

Certification means we are ready 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year to deliver advanced stroke care. Our team works closely with emergency medical services (EMS) providers to ensure that care begins from the moment assistance arrives in the person’s home or in the field. At UPMC Mercy — part of the UPMC Stroke Institute — a multidisciplinary team assembles to ensure that medical care is ready and waiting.

Our advanced diagnostic capabilities enable specialists to provide rapid diagnoses and faster interventions. Our state-of-the-art neurovascular suite allows clinicians to perform leading-edge diagnostic and endovascular interventional procedures on patients suffering from acute stroke and other neurovascular abnormalities.

Our skilled physicians perform the very latest procedures for stroke intervention, including:

  • Aneurysm coiling
  • Aneurysm clipping
  • Cerebral vessel stenting
  • Clot extraction (mechanical thrombectomy)
  • Pipeline embolization

About Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center Certification

UPMC Mercy is the only Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center in Western Pennsylvania, and is proud to be part of an elite group of certified stroke hospitals nationwide championing excellence in stroke patient care. To be eligible, hospitals must comply with best practice standards of care and demonstrate the availability of specific resources, staff and training that are necessary for the treatment of the most complex stroke cases including interventional procedures for acute strokes and hemorrhages.

These requirements include:

  • A dedicated intensive care unit that is staffed around the clock
  • Care for patients with strokes caused by blocked blood vessels in the brain (ischemic stroke) as well as brain bleeding (hemorrhagic stroke)
  • Advanced imaging to help diagnose strokes
  • Quick delivery of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator  — a clot-busting drug used to treat ischemic stroke
  • Advanced surgical procedures, such as coiling and clipping, to treat ruptured aneurysms that cause hemorrhagic stroke
  • Assistance with coordinated care of stroke patients after discharge from the hospital
  • Involvement in research to help improve care for stroke patients

 View UPMC Mercy's stroke outcomes compared to the national rates.

Acute Care Stroke Units

In the immediate days after a stroke, our team of highly trained, stroke-specific physicians and nurses provide coordinated, around-the-clock monitoring and care in our dedicated neurocritical care and stroke units.

Stroke Rehabilitation

UPMC Mercy’s dedicated, inpatient Stroke Rehabilitation Unit gives our patients and their families the care, information, and support they need during the critical first days and weeks of recovery.

Our patients continue to recover and rebuild their life skills at UPMC’s Center for Stroke Rehabilitation — part of the nationally renowned UPMC Rehabilitation Institute. Based at UPMC Mercy, a specific, multidisciplinary treatment plan is created for each patient that can include speech, occupational, and physical therapies, under the direction of board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation physicians.

The Rehabilitation Institute also offers its Robotics and Gaming Center at UPMC Mercy. Here, stroke patients can take advantage of robotics and gaming technologies, along with traditional therapies, as part of their treatment plans.

Stroke Support Group

If you or someone you know is a stroke survivor, UPMC Mercy provides on-going support and resources. The UPMC Mercy Stroke Support Group meets in-person and virtually to provide stroke survivors and their families continued support throughout recovery. This group is open to patients, family members, and any interested member of the community. For additional details, call 412-232-7486.