Evaluation of Stroke in the Emergency Department

Author(s):  
Robert Sawyer ◽  
Edward C. Jauch

Acute stroke remains a challenge due to the myriad of presentations and the narrow therapeutic windows for reperfusion therapies. This chapter reviews the Emergency Department (ED) initial evaluation and treatment of stroke, recognition of potential stroke patients, and ED-based systems of care to optimize stroke care for the various forms of stroke encountered in the ED. The chapter also covers therapy options, including intravenous alteplase, endovascular thrombectomy, and supportive therapy. Quality assurance and feedback is addressed through Get with the Guidelines-Stroke. Common scenarios and pitfalls that are frequently encountered when evaluating patients with acute stroke in the ED are discussed.

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Marco A Gonzalez Castellon ◽  
James A BOBENHOUSE ◽  
David Franco ◽  
Beth L Malina ◽  
Mindy Cook ◽  
...  

Introduction: Stroke is a leading cause of disability in the United States. Disparities in stroke care between metropolitan and rural areas have long been recognized. Access to high-level timely stroke expertise improves outcomes, but in rural areas this is limited by sparse availability of stroke specialists. Since 2006, the Nebraska Stroke Advisory Council, a statewide coalition of stroke experts and stakeholders, began implementing strategies to improve stroke care. In 2016, the Nebraska legislature approved Bill 722, mandating the development of stroke systems of care. In 2018, the AHA and the Helmsley Charitable Trust launched Mission: Lifeline Stroke, a coordinated 3-year program to enhance stroke systems of care in Nebraska. Purpose: To assess advances in acute stroke care in Nebraska after implementing a statewide stroke system of care focused on rural areas. Methods: The Council joined with AHA to expand public and professional stroke education offerings including workshops, conferences, and EMS trainings. They developed state specific treatment guidelines and created educational reinforcement materials. From 2016 to 2019 Get With The Guidelines® (GWTG) was used for stroke data collection and quality improvement in Nebraska. GWTG participating hospitals expanded from 7 to 40 sites (21 critical access). Results: The number of stroke and Transient Ischemic Attack cases reported more than doubled from 2016 to 2019 (1848 to 3987 cases). The door to CT initiated in < 25 minutes improved by 13%. IV alteplase therapy gains included: utilization increased from 8.7% to 11.3%; median door to drug time reduced from 54 to 42 minutes; and door to drug within 60 minutes of arrival increased from 67% to 80.4%.The number of alteplase monitored patients doubled and mechanical thrombectomy cases increased from 77 in 2017 to 138 in 2019. Conclusion: Implementation of strategies in Nebraska, with an emphasis on rural critical access hospitals, led to significant improvements in acute stroke care. This work represents the authors’ independent analysis of local or multicenter data gathered using the AHA Get With The Guidelines® Patient Management Tool but is not an analysis of the national GWTG dataset and does not represent findings from the AHA GWTG National Program


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lindsay Olson-Mack ◽  
Jacqueline Reardon ◽  
Elton Hedden ◽  
Rowena Carino ◽  
Cynthia VanWyk ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Emergency Department (ED) physicians often manage acute stroke patients without Neurology support at the bedside. Without guidance, they are left to rapidly assess, diagnose and treat acute stroke patients with minimal follow up on treatment effectiveness and patient outcomes. We hypothesized that introducing a Nurse Practitioner (NP) as Stroke Champion into an ED that did not have access to in-house Neurology would drive awareness of acute stroke care, and positively change practice to decrease door to needle times. Methods: The NP started in the 24-bed ED in June 2012. The average daily census of the ED for 2012 was 135 patients per day, and from January to June 2012, ED physicians initiated 46 stroke codes. Although Neurologists were available via telephone, ED physicians were left to accurately assess and initiate stroke codes, determine eligibility, and order IV tPA. In collaboration with the Stroke Medical Director, the Stroke NP conducted multiple education sessions regarding timing metrics in acute stroke care and door to tPA goals with ED clinicians, radiology, lab and pharmacy departments. Data was shared with stakeholders monthly to drive performance improvement initiatives. Results: Rapid improvements were made in all metrics. Mean time to CT first image improved by 19.3 minutes (37.3 to 18.0 minutes) in 6 months, and to 14.7 minutes in 1 year. CT result mean turn-around-time decreased by 19 minutes (from 54.0 to 29.1 minutes) in the first 6 months, and by 22.6 minutes (from 54.0 to 26.0 minutes) at 12 months. Likewise, laboratory result turn-around-times dramatically decreased by a mean of 15.9 minutes (54.4 to 38.5 minutes) over 6 months, and by a mean of 23 minutes (54.4 to 31.0 minutes) within 12 months. IV tPA treatment rates increased from 5% to 14.4% of all ischemic strokes. Door to IV tPA treatment times decreased by a mean of 33.9 minutes (104.5 to 70.6 minutes) in 6 months, and by 46.8 minutes (from 104.5 to 57.7 minutes) within the year. Conclusions: Introducing an NP into the ED to serve as Stroke Champion can provide added support to improve care of acute stroke patients by expediting assessment and treatment.


Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Catherine J Videtto ◽  
Mary Jane Finnegan

The incidence of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP) has been estimated to occur in acute stroke patients with rates reported as high as approximately 10 - 25%. Mechanical ventilation, multiple infarct locations, dysphagia and abnormal chest x-ray findings all contribute to increased risk for dysphagia and ultimately development of pneumonia. Because fatality rates of 20 - 45% have been reported in HAP, stroke care nurses are urged to comply with guidelines recommending implementation of simple bedside swallow assessments to identify high risk patients and institute appropriate nursing interventions to avoid development of the potentially fatal complication of stroke related pneumonia. A retrospective review of 493 patients admitted to the stroke service of a community hospital was performed to determine incidence of hospital acquired pneumonia in acute stroke patients. The sample of patients were admitted through the emergency department and depending on the severity of stroke, were admitted to either an ICU or step-down unit bed. The simple bedside swallow screen was completed by an emergency department nurse. The patient was not allowed anything by mouth until the assessment was completed. If the assessment revealed the patient had a competent level of cognition, ability to adequately handle secretion in a sitting position, and maintain a venous pulse oxygenation of greater than 94%, the patient was asked to swallow three sequential one ounce medicine cups of water. If coughing, choking, drooling, or oxygen desaturation was assessed, the patient was maintained nothing by mouth until a formal swallow evaluation was completed by a speech therapist. During the period of 1/1/09 - 7/30/11, this hospital’s annual incidence of HAP in the post stroke patient was found to be significantly less than nationally published incidence. The diagnosis of HAP was based upon Center for Disease Control Guidelines for Hospital-Acquired Pneumonia. The patients reported as developing HAP met the criteria of having a primary discharge of stroke and a secondary discharge diagnosis of hospital acquired pneumonia. This community hospital’s mean incidence of hospital acquired pneumonia over the total 31 month study period was 3.6%. A simple bedside swallow screen performed by competent emergency department nurses to detect swallowing difficulty quickly and accurately in stroke patients prior to administering anything by mouth, has achieved the goal of identifying patients at high risk for dysphagia and avoiding the potential complication of hospital acquired pneumonia.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul Nogueira ◽  
Jason Davies ◽  
Rishi Gupta ◽  
Ameer E Hassan ◽  
Thomas G Devlin ◽  
...  

Background: The degree to which the COVID-19 pandemic has affected systems of care, in particular those for time-sensitive conditions such as stroke, remains poorly quantified. We sought to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 in the overall screening for acute stroke utilizing a commercial clinical artificial intelligence (AI) platform. Methods: Data were derived from the Viz Platform, an AI application designed to optimize the workflow of acute stroke patients. Neuroimaging data on suspected stroke patients across 97 hospitals in 20 US states were collected in real-time and retrospectively analyzed with the number of patients undergoing imaging screening serving as a surrogate for the amount of stroke care. The main outcome measures were the number of CTA, CTP, Large vessel occlusions (LVOs) (defined according to the automated software detection), and severe strokes on CTP (defined as those with hypoperfusion volumes>70mL) normalized as number of patients per day per hospital. Data from the pre-pandemic (November 4, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and pandemic (March 1 to May 10, 2020) periods were compared at national and state levels. Correlations were made between the inter-period changes in imaging screening, stroke hospitalizations, and thrombectomy procedures using state-specific sampling. Results: A total of 23,223 patients were included. The incidence of LVO on CTA and severe strokes on CTP were 11.2%(n=2,602) and 14.7%(n=1,229/8,328), respectively. There were significant declines in the overall number of CTAs (-22.8%;1.39 to 1.07 patients/day/hospital,p<0.001) and CTPs (-26.1%;0.50 to 0.37 patients/day/hospital,p<0.001) as well as in the incidence of LVO (-17.1%;0.15 to 0.13 patients/day/hospital,p<0.001) and severe strokes on CTP (-16.7%;0.12 to 0.10 patients/day/hospital, p<0.005). The sampled cohort showed similar declines in the rates of LVOs versus thrombectomy (18.8%vs.19.5%, p=0.9) and CSC hospitalizations (18.8%vs.11.0%, p=0.4). Conclusions: A significant decline in stroke imaging screening has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. This underscores the broader application of AI neuroimaging platforms for the real-time monitoring of stroke systems of care.


2019 ◽  
Vol 24 (4) ◽  
pp. 505-514 ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasanthi Govindarajan ◽  
Stephen Shiboski ◽  
Barbara Grimes ◽  
Lawrence J. Cook ◽  
David Ghilarducci ◽  
...  

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolle W Davis ◽  
Meghan Bailey ◽  
Natalie Buchwald ◽  
Amreen Farooqui ◽  
Anna Khanna

Background/Objective: There is growing importance on discovering factors that delay time to intervention for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients, as rapid intervention remains essential for better patient outcomes. The management of these patients involves a multidisciplinary effort and quality improvement initiatives to safely increase treatment with intravenous thrombolytic (IV tPa). The objective of this pilot is to evaluate factors of acute stroke care in the emergency department (ED) and the impact they have on IV tPa administration. Methods: A sample of 89 acute ischemic stroke patients that received IV tPa from a single academic medical institution was selected for retrospective analysis. System characteristics (presence of a stroke nurse and time of day) and patient characteristics (mode of arrival and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) on arrival) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression to address the study question. Results: The mean door to needle time is 53.74 minutes ( + 38.06) with 74.2% of patients arriving to the ED via emergency medical services (EMS) and 25.8% having a stroke nurse present during IV tPa administration. Mode of arrival ( p = .001) and having a stroke nurse present ( p = .022) are significant predictors of door to needle time in the emergency department (ED). Conclusion: While many factors can influence door to needle times in the ED, we did not find NIHSS on arrival or time of day to be significant factors. Patients arriving to the ED by personal vehicle will have a significant delay in IV tPa administration, therefore emphasizing the importance of using EMS. Perhaps more importantly, collaborative efforts including the addition of a specialized stroke nurse significantly decreased time to IV tPa administration for AIS patients. With this dedicated role, accelerated triage and more effective management of AIS patients is accomplished, leading to decreased intervention times and potentially improving patient outcomes.


Author(s):  
Evan Kolesnick ◽  
Evan Kolesnick ◽  
Alfredo Munoz ◽  
Kaiz Asif ◽  
Santiago Ortega‐Gutierrez ◽  
...  

Introduction : Stroke is a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and healthcare spending in the United States. Acute management of ischemic stroke is time‐dependent and evidence suggests improved clinical outcomes for patients treated at designated certified stroke centers. There is an increasing trend among hospitals to obtain certification as designated stroke centers. A common source or integrated tool providing both information and location of all available stroke centers in the US irrespective of the certifying organization is not readily available. The objective of our research is to generate a comprehensive and interactive electronic resource with combined data on all geographically‐coded certified stroke centers to assist in pre‐hospital triage and study healthcare disparities in stroke including availability and access to acute stroke care by location and population. Methods : Data on stroke center certification was primarily obtained from each of the three main certifying organizations: The Joint Commission (TJC), Det Norske Veritas (DNV) and Healthcare Facilities Accreditation Program (HFAP). Geographic mapping of all stroke center locations was performed using the ArcGIS Pro application. The most current data on stroke centers is presented in an interactive electronic format and the information is frequently updated to represent newly certified centers. Utility of the tool and its analytics are shown. Role of the tool in improving pre‐hospital triage in the stroke systems of care, studying healthcare disparities and implications for public health policy are discussed. Results : Aggregate data analysis at the time of submission revealed 1,806 total certified stroke centers. TJC‐certified stroke centers represent the majority with 106 Acute Stroke Ready (ASR), 1,040 Primary Stroke Centers (PSCs), 49 Thrombectomy Capable Centers (TSCs) and 197 Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSCs). A total of 341 DNV‐certified programs including 36 ASRs, 162 PSCs, 16 PSC Plus (thrombectomy capable) and 127 CSCs were identified. HFAP‐certified centers (75) include 16 ASRs, 49 PSCs, 2 TSCs and 8 CSCs. A preliminary map of all TJC‐certified CSCs and TSCs is shown in the figure (1). Geospatial analysis reveals distinct areas with currently limited access to certified stroke centers and currently, access to certified stroke centers is extremely limited to non‐existent in fe States (for example: Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, New Mexico and South Dakota). Conclusions : Stroke treatment and clinical outcomes are time‐dependent and prompt assessment and triage by EMS directly to appropriate designated stroke centers is therefore critical. A readily available electronic platform providing location and treatment capability for all nearby certified centers will enhance regional stroke systems of care, including enabling more rapid inter‐hospital transfers for advanced intervention. Identifying geographic areas of limited access to treatment can also help improve policy and prioritize the creation of a more equitable and well‐distributed network of stroke care in the United States.


2018 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 949-984 ◽  
Author(s):  
JM Boulanger ◽  
MP Lindsay ◽  
G Gubitz ◽  
EE Smith ◽  
G Stotts ◽  
...  

The 2018 update of the Canadian Stroke Best Practice Recommendations for Acute Stroke Management, 6th edition, is a comprehensive summary of current evidence-based recommendations, appropriate for use by healthcare providers and system planners caring for persons with very recent symptoms of acute stroke or transient ischemic attack. The recommendations are intended for use by a interdisciplinary team of clinicians across a wide range of settings and highlight key elements involved in prehospital and Emergency Department care, acute treatments for ischemic stroke, and acute inpatient care. The most notable changes included in this 6th edition are the renaming of the module and its integration of the formerly separate modules on prehospital and emergency care and acute inpatient stroke care. The new module, Acute Stroke Management: Prehospital, Emergency Department, and Acute Inpatient Stroke Care is now a single, comprehensive module addressing the most important aspects of acute stroke care delivery. Other notable changes include the removal of two sections related to the emergency management of intracerebral hemorrhage and subarachnoid hemorrhage. These topics are covered in a new, dedicated module, to be released later this year. The most significant recommendation updates are for neuroimaging; the extension of the time window for endovascular thrombectomy treatment out to 24 h; considerations for treating a highly selected group of people with stroke of unknown time of onset; and recommendations for dual antiplatelet therapy for a limited duration after acute minor ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack. This module also emphasizes the need for increased public and healthcare provider’s recognition of the signs of stroke and immediate actions to take; the important expanding role of paramedics and all emergency medical services personnel; arriving at a stroke-enabled Emergency Department without delay; and launching local healthcare institution code stroke protocols. Revisions have also been made to the recommendations for the triage and assessment of risk of recurrent stroke after transient ischemic attack/minor stroke and suggested urgency levels for investigations and initiation of management strategies. The goal of this updated guideline is to optimize stroke care across Canada, by reducing practice variations and reducing the gap between current knowledge and clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e001214
Author(s):  
Jessalyn K Holodinsky ◽  
Vivian N Onaemo ◽  
Ruth Whelan ◽  
Gary Hunter ◽  
Brett R Graham ◽  
...  

BackgroundFor ischaemic stroke, outcome severity is heavily time dependent. Systems of care need to be in place to ensure that patients with stroke are treated quickly and appropriately across entire health regions. Prior to this study, the province of Saskatchewan, Canada did not have a provincial stroke strategy in place.MethodsA quality improvement project was undertaken to create and evaluate a provincial stroke strategy. The Saskatchewan Acute Stroke Pathway was created using a multidisciplinary team of experts, piloted at five stroke centres and then implemented provincially. The number of stroke alerts, door-to-imaging, door-to-needle, door-to-groin puncture times and treatment rates were collected at all centres. Improvements over time were analysed using run charts and individuals control charts.ResultsThe number of stroke alerts province-wide trended upwards in the last 6 months of the study. There were no clear trends or shifts in the proportion of stroke alerts treated with alteplase or endovascular therapy. Across the province, the weighted mean door-to-imaging time decreased from 21 to 15 min, the weighted mean door-to-needle time decreased from 62 to 47 min and the mean door-to-groin puncture time decreased from 83 to 70 min. There was high variability in the degree of improvement from centre to centre.ConclusionsThe implementation of a province wide acute stroke pathway has led to improvement in stroke care on a provincial basis. Further work addressing intercentre variability is ongoing.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Raul G. Nogueira ◽  
Jason M. Davies ◽  
Rishi Gupta ◽  
Ameer E. Hassan ◽  
Thomas Devlin ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: The degree to which the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has affected systems of care, in particular, those for time-sensitive conditions such as stroke, remains poorly quantified. We sought to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 in the overall screening for acute stroke utilizing a commercial clinical artificial intelligence platform. Methods: Data were derived from the Viz Platform, an artificial intelligence application designed to optimize the workflow of patients with acute stroke. Neuroimaging data on suspected patients with stroke across 97 hospitals in 20 US states were collected in real time and retrospectively analyzed with the number of patients undergoing imaging screening serving as a surrogate for the amount of stroke care. The main outcome measures were the number of computed tomography (CT) angiography, CT perfusion, large vessel occlusions (defined according to the automated software detection), and severe strokes on CT perfusion (defined as those with hypoperfusion volumes >70 mL) normalized as number of patients per day per hospital. Data from the prepandemic (November 4, 2019 to February 29, 2020) and pandemic (March 1 to May 10, 2020) periods were compared at national and state levels. Correlations were made between the inter-period changes in imaging screening, stroke hospitalizations, and thrombectomy procedures using state-specific sampling. Results: A total of 23 223 patients were included. The incidence of large vessel occlusion on CT angiography and severe strokes on CT perfusion were 11.2% (n=2602) and 14.7% (n=1229/8328), respectively. There were significant declines in the overall number of CT angiographies (−22.8%; 1.39–1.07 patients/day per hospital, P <0.001) and CT perfusion (−26.1%; 0.50–0.37 patients/day per hospital, P <0.001) as well as in the incidence of large vessel occlusion (−17.1%; 0.15–0.13 patients/day per hospital, P <0.001) and severe strokes on CT perfusion (−16.7%; 0.12–0.10 patients/day per hospital, P <0.005). The sampled cohort showed similar declines in the rates of large vessel occlusions versus thrombectomy (18.8% versus 19.5%, P =0.9) and comprehensive stroke center hospitalizations (18.8% versus 11.0%, P =0.4). Conclusions: A significant decline in stroke imaging screening has occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. This analysis underscores the broader application of artificial intelligence neuroimaging platforms for the real-time monitoring of stroke systems of care.


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