SILC-LAB Frequently Asked Questions

Large Vessel Occlusions are blockages in the larger arteries of the brain, which can lead to significant areas of the brain being deprived of blood and oxygen. LVOs are significant because they are associated with more severe strokes, leading to higher morbidity and mortality rates.

The criteria aim to improve stroke care by providing a standardized operational blueprint for stroke interventional laboratories. This standardization is expected to facilitate better outcomes for stroke patients by promoting timely, safe, and effective stroke interventions.

The 7M Management Approach is a comprehensive framework designed to ensure that stroke interventional laboratories are equipped with the necessary resources and procedures to deliver optimal stroke care. It covers all aspects from manpower to machinery, ensuring that labs are prepared to handle stroke interventions effectively.

The 7M Management Approach refers to seven key areas outlined by the SVIN SILC Criteria for the operation of a stroke interventional laboratory:

1. Manpower: Personnel roles including medical and administrative directors, attending physicians, fellows, physician extenders, and key stakeholders in the stroke chain of survival.
2. Machines: Necessary physical facilities and angiography equipment.
3. Materials: Medical device inventory, medications, and angiography supplies.
4. Methods: Standardized protocols for stroke workflow optimization.
5. Metrics (Volume): Credentialing criteria for facilities and stroke interventionalists.
6. Metrics (Quality): Benchmarks for quality assurance.
7. Metrics (Safety): Radiation and procedural safety practices.

The criteria aim to improve stroke care by providing a standardized operational blueprint for stroke interventional laboratories. This standardization is expected to facilitate better outcomes for stroke patients by promoting timely, safe, and effective stroke interventions.

The development of the SVIN SILC Criteria is supported by evidence from recent landmark trials that have demonstrated the safety and efficacy of endovascular therapy for AIS due to LVOs. These trials have highlighted the need for a systematic approach to stroke care similar to the care provided for heart attacks.

The primary beneficiaries of the SVIN SILC Criteria are patients suffering from AIS due to LVOs. However, stroke care teams, including medical staff and administrative personnel in stroke centers, also benefit from the clear guidelines that facilitate a unified approach to stroke intervention.

The criteria emphasize the importance of standardized protocols and methods to optimize workflow, enabling rapid triage, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke patients. Quick response times are crucial for successful outcomes in stroke care.

The criteria recommend specific benchmarks for quality assurance and safety, including volume metrics for credentialing, quality metrics for performance assessment, and safety metrics to ensure radiation and procedural risks are minimized.

Standardization is needed to ensure that stroke care is uniformly effective and safe across different institutions. With the rise in stroke intervention procedures, it is crucial to have a consensus on the operation and quality of interventional labs to improve patient outcomes.

The criteria emphasize that the tiered system of stroke centers and interventional labs should be established and operated with the goal of delivering evidence-based, resource-efficient measures to improve patient outcomes. This includes optimizing the systems of stroke operations globally.

The criteria are intended to complement and enhance existing stroke systems of care by providing a standardized approach to operating interventional laboratories, which are a critical component of comprehensive stroke care.