Expert neurological care at Maine's largest medical center
Whether you enter MaineHealth Maine Medical Center Portland (MHMMCP) through our emergency room or as a scheduled inpatient, highly-skilled neurocritical care specialists and neurohospitalists and are available 24/7 to treat conditions related to the brain and central nervous system.
- Neurocritical Care Specialists: Neurocritical care doctors (also called neurointensivists) are specialty-trained to manage acute neurological emergencies in the intensive care unit such as stroke and seizures.
- Neurohospitalists: Neurohospitalists are board-certified neurologists who specialize in caring for patients with all neurological conditions in the emergency room and in the hospital. They work around the clock and are specialty-trained to manage acute neurological conditions in the emergency room and to assist neurointensivists with continued care.
Our multidisciplinary team includes physicians, nurses, pharmacists, advanced practice providers, researchers and scientists. We incorporate state of the art, evidence-based medicine and specialized training in advanced brain and nervous system monitoring and pharmacotherapy to deliver the best possible outcomes for MHMMCP patients.
Refer a patient
More about our services
Program highlights include:
- MHMMCP is Maine's only ACS Level 1-verified trauma center with 24/7, in-house coverage for neurology care - including the complex needs of patients with neurological trauma
- Care meets rigorous national standards established by the Trauma Committee of the American College of Surgeons
- Standardized care plans for critically ill patients following evidence-based, best-practice guidelines to optimize health outcomes
- Multidisciplinary approach to care with physicians certified in neurocritical subspecialty care working in collaboration with advanced practice providers and dedicated neurocritical care nurses along with pharmacy, respiratory therapy, nutrition, PT/OT and social work
- Our providers are leaders in the Neurocritical Care Society, the largest, most influential, international consortium tasked with advancing the specialty
- Well-funded neurocritical care research group participating in cutting-edge studies that will help to define the future of neurocritical care
- Close partnership with our colleagues in neurology and neurosurgery
- Leading-edge technology including continuous EEG and cerebral oxygenation monitoring
- Innovative procedures such as targeted temperature management to control body temperature
- Dedicated neurology patient navigators who help guide patients and families with compassion and expertise in both inpatient and outpatient settings
- Early intervention by physiatry and rehabilitation specialists to address functional deficits as soon as possible, improving long-term outcomes
- Seamless transitions to neuro rehabilitation care and close partnership with New England Rehabilitation Hospital of Portland
With a coordinated approach to care, a team of multidisciplinary clinicians, and adherence to evolving care pathways that incorporate sophisticated monitoring techniques, critically ill patients who ten years ago would not be expected to survive are today surviving with increasing frequency - and regaining a remarkable level of independence.
We provides comprehensive neurocritical and neurohospitalist care for a wide range of neurological conditions and injuries, including:
- Acute ischemic stroke
- Acute hemorrhagic stroke
- Arteriovenous malformations
- Brain and spine tumors
- Brain and spine injuries
- Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis
- Critical illness myopathy/neuropathy
- Guillain-Barre syndrome (GBS)
- Infectious and inflammatory encephalopathies
- Intracerebral or intracerebellar hemorrhage
- Meningitis
- Myasthenia gravis exacerbation
- Neuromuscular weakness and paralysis
- Neuro trauma
- Pediatric neurology disorders
- Seizures and status epilepticus
- Subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Transverse myelitis
- Neurovascular conditions
Services include, but are not limited to:
- Brain tissue oxygen monitoring
- Continuous electroencephalogram (EEG)
- Intracranial pressure (ICP) monitoring
- Management of vasospasm related to subarachnoid hemorrhage
- Neurocritical care
- Neurohospitalist care
- Neuroradiology and diagnostics
- Neuro-oncology care coordination
- Neurosurgery care coordination
- Neurorehabilitation care coordination
- State-of-the-art post-resuscitation care
- Telestroke services
- ICECAP – Influence of cooling duration on efficacy in cardiac arrest patients
- BOOST3 – A comparative effectiveness study to test the efficacy of a prescribed treatment protocol on monitoring the partial pressure of brain tissue oxygen (PbtO2)
- CHARM – Evaluate the efficacy and safety of intravenous BIIB093 (glyburide) for severe cerebral edema following large hemispheric infarction
- COBRE Grant – A multi-faceted study funded by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences (NIH), including:
- Adenosinergic signaling in the inflammatory response after cardiac arrest – David B Seder, MD
- Reducing rural disparities in cardiac arrest outcomes by standardization of care – Teresa L May, DO
- Ceftriaxone immunomodulation and antimicrobial effects after cardiac arrest – David Gagnon, Pharm D
- PCAS – post cardiac arrest patients undergoing therapeutic hypothermia to investigate systemic inflammation process
- HASH 4 – CSF – Neuroinflammatory response and headache control in patients after subarachnoid hemorrhage
- SETPOINT 2 – Determining benefits of early tracheostomy in patients with stroke
- INTCAR – The international cardiac arrest registry participating site
Christine's Story
Christine Gifford of Vassalboro was enjoying a Father's day weekend with her family when she suddenly felt very sick. At first she thought it might be food poisoning but MHMMCP experts quickly diagnosed brain aneurysm and stroke. After she recovered, Christine returned to MHMMCP to express her thanks for the life-saving care and compassion that she and her family experienced.
