Effect on door-to-needle recombinant tissue plasminogen activator administration times for acute ischemic stroke with and without an emergency department pharmacist

2019 ◽  
Vol 2 (6) ◽  
pp. 628-632
Author(s):  
Brian W. Gilbert ◽  
Joel Huffman
2017 ◽  
Vol 51 (12) ◽  
pp. 1084-1089 ◽  
Author(s):  
Megan A. Rech ◽  
Stephanie Bennett ◽  
Elisabeth Donahey

Background: Pharmacists are an important member of the stroke team and aid in obtaining medication and medical history, providing education, managing blood pressure, reviewing exclusion criteria for recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA), and facilitating reconstitution and administration of rtPA. Objective: To determine if pharmacist presence at bedside during acute ischemic stroke resulted in a reduction in door-to-needle (DTN) times. Methods: This was a retrospective cohort study between January 1, 2011 and December 31, 2015 of patients who received rtPA for acute ischemic stroke in either the emergency department or hospital. Results: Of the 125 included patients, 45 patients (36%) had a pharmacist present (PharmD group) and 80 patients (64%) did not (no PharmD group). Median DTN time was significantly shorter in the PharmD group: 48 minutes versus 73 minutes in the no PharmD group ( P < 0.01). The goal of DTN ≤60 minutes was met in 71% of patients in the PharmD group compared to 29% ( P < 0.01). Pharmacist at the bedside was the only factor found to be independently associated with reduction DTN time (βcoefficient −23.5 minutes, 95% confidence interval [95% CI] −38.6 to −8.50 minutes). Conclusion: A pharmacist at the bedside of emergency department or in-patient stroke codes reduced DTN time by a median of 23.5 minutes after adjusting for confounding factors and increased the percentage of patients meeting DTN goal time of ≤60 minutes by 49%. These findings support the inclusion of a stroke-competent pharmacist in the bedside response team for acute ischemic stroke patients.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jie Chen ◽  
Fu-Liang Zhang ◽  
Shan Lv ◽  
Hang Jin ◽  
Yun Luo ◽  
...  

Objective:: Increased leukocyte count are positively associated with poor outcomes and all-cause mortality in coronary heart disease, cancer, and ischemic stroke. The role of leukocyte count in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) remains important. We aimed to investigate the association between admission leukocyte count before thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) and 3-month outcomes in AIS patients. Methods:: This retrospective study included consecutive AIS patients who received intravenous (IV) rt-PA within 4.5 h of symptom onset between January 2016 and December 2018. We assessed outcomes including short-term hemorrhagic transformation (HT), 3-month mortality, and functional independence (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] score of 0–2 or 0–1). Results:: Among 579 patients who received IV rt-PA, 77 (13.3%) exhibited HT at 24 h, 43 (7.4%) died within 3 months, and 211 (36.4%) exhibited functional independence (mRS score: 0–2). Multivariable logistic regression revealed admission leukocyte count as an independent predictor of good and excellent outcomes at 3 months. Each 1-point increase in admission leukocyte count increased the odds of poor outcomes at 3 months by 7.6% (mRS score: 3–6, odds ratio (OR): 1.076, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.003–1.154, p=0.041) and 7.8% (mRS score: 2–6, OR: 1.078, 95% CI: 1.006–1.154, p=0.033). Multivariable regression analysis revealed no association between HT and 3-month mortality. Admission neutrophil and lymphocyte count were not associated with 3-month functional outcomes or 3-month mortality. Conclusion:: Lower admission leukocyte count independently predicts good and excellent outcomes at 3 months in AIS patients undergoing rt-PA treatment.


Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Guijing Wang ◽  
Heesoo Joo ◽  
Mary G George

Introduction: Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (IV rtPA) is recommended treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients, but the cost-effectiveness of IV rtPA within different time windows after the onset of acute ischemic stroke is not well reviewed. Objectives: We conducted a literature review of the cost-effectiveness studies about IV rtPA. Methods: A literature search was conducted using PubMed, MEDLINE, and EconLit, with the key words stroke, cost, economic benefit, saving, cost-effectiveness, tissue plasminogen activator, and rtPA. The review is limited to original research articles published during 1995–2014 in English-language peer-reviewed journals. Results: We found 15 studies meeting our criteria for this review. Nine of them were cost-effectiveness studies of IV rtPA treatment within 0-3 hours after stroke onset, 2 studies within 3-4.5 hours, 3 studies within 0-4.5 hours, and 1 study within 0-6 hours. IV rtPA is a cost-saving or a cost-effectiveness strategy from most of the study results. Only one study showed incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of IV rtPA within one year was marginally above $50,000 per QALY threshold. IV rtPA within 0-3 hours after stroke led to cost savings for lifetime or 30 years, and IV rtPA within 3-4.5 hours after stroke increased costs but still was cost-effective. Conclusions: The literature generally showed that intravenous IV rtPA was a dominant or a cost-effective strategy compared to traditional treatment for acute ischemic stroke patients without IV rtPA. The findings from the literature lacked generalizability because of limited data and various assumptions.


2006 ◽  
Vol 22 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 423-428 ◽  
Author(s):  
Poyin Huang ◽  
Chun-Hung Chen ◽  
Yuan-Han Yang ◽  
Ruey-Tay Lin ◽  
Feng-Cheng Lin ◽  
...  

Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mushtaq H Qureshi ◽  
Shayaan M Khan ◽  
Nauman Jahangir ◽  
Ahmed A Malik ◽  
Melissa Freese ◽  
...  

Background: The number of acute ischemic stroke patients who are on both aspirin and clopidogrel treatment at time of acute ischemic event is increasing. There is limited data regarding the safety and efficacy of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) treatment in such patients. Methods: We reviewed the medical records and imaging data of consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke who received IV rt-PA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. We stratified the patients based on active regular use of antiplatelet medications: monotherapy (aspirin or clopidogrel), combination therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel), and no therapy and compared the rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), neurological improvement (≥4 points in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS], and favorable outcome (modified Rankin scale [mRS] 0-1) at discharge between the three groups. Results: A total of 88 acute ischemic stroke patients (mean age±SD; 69.88 ±15) were treated with IV rt-PA within the study duration. Of the 88 patients 45 (50.6%), 37 (41.6%), and 52 (58.4) were on monotherapy, combination therapy, or no therapy at time of presentation. The proportion of patients who developed symptomatic ICHs were similar (p=0.8) in monotherapy, combination therapy, and no therapy groups (3.3%, 0.0%, and 4.1%, respectively). The rates of neurological improvement were greater in patients on monotherapy (20%) (p=0.03) followed by combination therapy (11.1%), and no therapy groups (2.0%). There was no significant reduction in the rate of favorable outcome at discharge among patients on combination treatment compared with no treatment (odds ratio 0.8 , 95% confidence interval 0.4-1.8 ) after adjusting for age and initial NIHSS score strata (<10, 10-19, and ≥20). Conclusions: Compared with patients on no antiplatelet treatment, acute ischemic stroke patients who are actively using aspirin and clopidogrel appear to have similar risks and benefits with IV rt-PA treatment.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg C Fonarow ◽  
Eric E Smith ◽  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Eric D Peterson ◽  
Ying Xian ◽  
...  

Background: The benefits of intravenous tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) in acute ischemic stroke are time-dependent and several strategies have been reported to be associated with more rapid door-to-needle (DTN) times. However, the extent to which hospitals are utilizing these strategies has not been well studied. Methods: We surveyed 304 hospitals joining Target: Stroke regarding their baseline use of strategies to reduce door-to-needle times in the 1/2008-2/2010 timeframe (prior to the initiation of Target: Stroke). The survey was developed based on literature review and expert consensus for strategies identified as being associated with shorter DTN times and further refined after pilot testing. Categorical responses are reported as frequencies. Results: Hospitals participating in the survey were 50% academic, median 163 (IQR 106-247) ischemic stroke admissions per year, median 10 (IQR 6-17) tPA treated patients per year, and had median 79 minute (IQR 71-89) DTN times. By survey, 214 of 304 hospitals (70%) reported initiating or revising strategies to reduce DTN times in the prior 2 years. Reported use of the different strategies varied in frequency, with use of ischemic stroke critical pathways, CT scanner located in the Emergency Department, and tPA being stored in the Emergency Department being the strategies least frequently employed (Table). As part of Target: Stroke participation, 279 of 304 hospitals (91.5%) indicated they planned to have a dedicated team focused on reducing DTN times. Conclusions: While most US hospitals participating in this survey report use of the strategies to improve the timeliness of tPA administration for acute ischemic stroke, significant variation exists. Further research is needed to understand which of these strategies are most effective in improving acute ischemic stroke care.


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