Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the U.S., responsible for more than 160,000 deaths yearly, and is strongly tied to heart disease, the leading cause of death, which is responsible for nearly 25% of deaths, according to the CDC.
Collaboration between interdisciplinary health teams, such as neurology and cardiology departments, should be a fundamental best practice to deliver a focused team-based approach to stroke care. While this approach can result in better outcomes for stroke patients, most modern hospitals and medical centers are not set up to support an interdisciplinary