Extending Acute Stroke Trials to the Aerial Inter-hospital Transfer Setting

We are inviting patients who have been diagnosed with an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke and are being transferred by Air Care helicopters to the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics (UIHC) for further care to participate in this research study to test the following: 1) To test whether it is possible to go through all the procedures necessary to start a study, including an informed consent, before the patient is transferred by helicopter to Iowa City. 2)To test a low risk medication called, Ranitidine, that might lower the chances of developing chemical pneumonitis (irritation of the lungs by stomach contents), a fairly common complication in patients that have had a stroke. Patients will be randomly assigned to receive a single dose injection of either Ranitidine (50 milligrams (mg)) or placebo (normal saline).