Greater Numbers of Neurosurgeons, Neurologists Linked to Fewer Deaths from Stroke

Researchers at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in Lebanon, N.H., have found an association in the U.S. between a higher density of neurologists and neurosurgeons and a decreased risk of death from stroke. The findings of their study are described in the article “Association of a higher density of specialist neuroscience providers with fewer deaths from stroke in the United States population. Clinical article,” by Atman Desai, MD, and colleagues, available online, ahead of print, in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the U.S. Given that neurologists and neurosurgeons are specialists in the field of stroke, the researchers hypothesized that there would be an association between the density of these neuroscience providers and the number of stroke-related deaths. For more information, click here to read the full release.