Abstract T P37: Routine CT Angiography in Acute Stroke Does Not Delay Acute Stroke Care

Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gisele S Silva ◽  
Renata C Miranda ◽  
Rodrigo M Massaud ◽  
Andreia M Vacari ◽  
Miguel Cendoroglo Neto

Introduction: Vascular imaging is increasingly used for diagnosis of arterial occlusions in acute ischemic stroke. Hypothesis:We hypothesized that time intervals using a CTA based acute ischemic stroke protocol are not increased when compared to an earlier non-CTA based protocol. Methods: We evaluated a database of consecutive patients admitted to a Brazilian tertiary hospital with acute ischemic stroke from February 2009 to March 2014 and reviewed our stroke quality measures data to determine if the time required to obtain CTA prolonged door-to-neuroimaging, door to radiology report and door-to-needle times. Patients were categorized into: Group 1 (February 2009 to October 2013) (Non-contrast CT Scan based acute stroke protocol) and Group 2 (November 2013 to August 2014) (CTA based acute stroke protocol). Time intervals were compared between the two groups.Results: We evaluated 415 consecutive patients, 20 of whom (4.8%) had a CTA in the acute phase (Group 2). Patients in groups 1 and 2 had similar onset-to-door times (1.86 [0.75-3.58] versus 2.75 hours [1.0-8.49], p=0.09); door to neuroimaging times (27.6 [18.6-46.8] versus 37.8 minutes [23.4-46.2], p=0.28 ) and door to radiology report intervals (39 [27-60.6] versus 53.4 minutes[35.4-61.2], p=0.09). The frequency of treatment with recanalization therapies ( either intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular procedures) was similar between groups 1 (30%) and 2 (21%), p=0.33, as well as door to needle times (p=0.09). Conclusions: CTA based acute stroke care does not significantly delay time to neuroimaging or thrombolysis in routine clinical practice.

Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 97 (20 Supplement 2) ◽  
pp. S6-S16
Author(s):  
Vasu Saini ◽  
Luis Guada ◽  
Dileep R. Yavagal

Purpose of the ReviewTo provide an up-to-date review of the incidence of stroke and large vessel occlusion (LVO) around the globe, as well as the eligibility and access to IV thrombolysis (IVT) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT) worldwide.Recent FindingsRandomized clinical trials have established MT with or without IVT as the usual care for patients with LVO stroke for up to 24 hours from symptom onset. Eligibility for IVT has extended beyond 4.5 hours based on permissible imaging criteria. With these advances in the last 5 years, there has been a notable increase in the population of patients eligible for acute stroke interventions. However, access to acute stroke care and utilization of MT or IVT is lagging in these patients.SummaryStroke is the second leading cause of both disability and death worldwide, with the highest burden of the disease shared by low- and middle-income countries. In 2016, there were 13.7 million new incident strokes globally; ≈87% of these were ischemic strokes and by conservative estimation about 10%–20% of these account for LVO. Fewer than 5% of patients with acute ischemic stroke received IVT globally in the eligible therapeutic time window and fewer than 100,000 MTs were performed worldwide in 2016. This highlights the large gap among eligible patients and the low utilization rates of these advances across the globe. Multiple global initiatives are underway to investigate interventions to improve systems of care and bridge this gap.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. 1307
Author(s):  
Mohammed Alqwaifly

Background: Stroke is a major cause of morbidity and disability worldwide. However, its outcomes have improved in the last few years with advancement in acute stroke treatment, including the use of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) within 4.5 hours of onset, which led several international guidelines to adopt it as the standard of care. In this study, authors sought to assess the knowledge, practices, and attitudes of emergency and medicine staff in Qassim, Saudi Arabia toward acute ischemic stroke care.Methods: A quantitative observational cross-sectional study involving 148 physicians from emergency and medicine departments (only three neurologists) was conducted in three main hospitals of the Qassim region, Saudi Arabia. Information was obtained from a self-administered questionnaire. A logistic regression model was used to control for potential confounding factors.Results: Ninety-two percent of participants were aware of t-PA. Eighty-seven percent of participants thought that t-PA was an effective treatment for acute ischemic stroke. Only 20% of participants had given t-PA or participated in the use of t-PA in acute ischemic stroke. Moreover, 64% of participants believed that allowing blood pressure to remain high was the most appropriate action in the first 24 hours in acute ischemic stroke patients who presented outside the t-PA window.Conclusion: Most of the emergency and medicine staff are well informed about t-PA, but the majority of these physicians have never given t-PA or participated in the administration of t-PA to a stroke patient. The main finding here is the positive outlook among emergency and medicine physicians in Qassim toward training in acute stroke care and administering t-PA for stroke, which will positively impact patient outcomes.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (5) ◽  
pp. 1693-1701
Author(s):  
Valerian L. Altersberger ◽  
Lotte J. Stolze ◽  
Mirjam R. Heldner ◽  
Hilde Henon ◽  
Nicolas Martinez-Majander ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Timely reperfusion is an important goal in treatment of eligible patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, prehospital and in-hospital emergency procedures faced unprecedented challenges, which might have caused a decline in the number of acute reperfusion therapy applied and led to a worsening of key quality measures for this treatment during lockdown. Methods: This prospective multicenter cohort study used data from the TRISP (Thrombolysis in Ischemic Stroke Patients) registry of patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with reperfusion therapies, that is, intravenous thrombolysis or endovascular therapy. We compared prehospital and in-hospital time-based performance measures (stroke-onset-to-admission, admission-to-treatment, admission-to-image, and image-to-treatment time) during the first 6 weeks after announcement of lockdown (lockdown period) with the same period in 2019 (reference period). Secondary outcomes included stroke severity (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale) after 24 hours and occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (following the ECASS [European-Australasian Acute Stroke Study]-II criteria). Results: Across 20 stroke centers, 540 patients were treated with intravenous thrombolysis/endovascular therapy during lockdown period compared with 578 patients during reference period (−7% [95% CI, 5%–9%]). Performance measures did not change significantly during the lockdown period (2020/2019 minutes median: onset-to-admission 133/145; admission-to-treatment 51/48). Same was true for admission-to-image (20/19) and image-to-treatment (31/30) time in patients with available time of first image (n=871, 77.9%). Median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale on admission (2020/2019: 11/11) and after 24 hours (2020/2019: 6/5) and percentage of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (2020/2019: 6.2/5.7) did not differ significantly between both periods. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic lockdown resulted in a mild decline in the number of patients with stroke treated with acute reperfusion therapies. More importantly, the solid stability of key quality performance measures between the 2020 and 2019 period may indicate resilience of acute stroke care service during the lockdown, at least in well-established European stroke centers.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. 01-09
Author(s):  
Wengui Yu

Background: Despite proven efficacy of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) and endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke, there has been slow administration of these therapies in the real world practice. We examined the ongoing quality improvement in acute stroke care at our comprehensive stroke center. Methods: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke from 2013 to 2018 were studied. Patients were managed using Code Stroke algorithm per concurrent AHA guidelines and a simple quality improvement protocol implemented in 2015. Demographics and clinical data were collected from Get-With-The-Guideline-Stroke registry and electronic medical records. Patients were divided into 3 groups per admission and implementation date of quality improvement initiatives. Quality measures, including rates of intravenous tPA and EVT, door-to-needle (DTN) time, and door-to-puncture (DTP) time, were analyzed with general mean linear regression models and Jonckheere-Terpstra test. Results: Of the 1,369 eligible patients presenting within 24 hours of symptom onset or wakeup stroke, the rate of intravenous tPA was 20%, 30% and 22%, respectively, in 2013-2014, 2015-2016, and 2017-2018. In contrast, EVT rate was 9%, 14% and 15%, respectively. Based on Jonckheere-Terpstra test, there was significant ongoing improvement in the median DTN time (57, 45, 39 minutes; p < 0.001) and DTP time (172, 130, 114 minutes; p =0.009) during the 3 time periods, with DTN time ≤ 60 and ≤45 minutes in 80% and 63% patients, respectively, in 2017-2018. Conclusions: Getting with the guidelines and simple quality improvement initiatives are associated with satisfactory rates of acute stroke therapy and ongoing improvement in door to treatment times.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Ademola S. Ojo ◽  
Simon A. Balogun ◽  
Ahmed O. Idowu

The emergence and spread of the highly contagious novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) have triggered the greatest public health challenge of the last century. Aside from being a primary respiratory disease, acute ischemic stroke has emerged as a complication of the disease. While current evidence shows COVID-19 could cause ischemic stroke especially in severe disease, there are similarities in the risk factors for severe COVID-19 as well as ischemic stroke, underscoring the complex relationship between these two conditions. The pandemic has created challenges for acute stroke care. Rapid assessment and time-sensitive interventions required for optimum outcomes in acute stroke care have been complicated by COVID-19 due to the need for disease transmission preventive measures. The purpose of this article is to explore the putative mechanisms of ischemic stroke in COVID-19 and the clinical characteristics of COVID-19 patients who develop ischemic stroke. In addition, we discuss the challenges of managing acute ischemic stroke in the setting of COVID-19 and review current management guidelines. We also highlighted potential areas for future research.


Author(s):  
JC Furlan ◽  
J Fang ◽  
FL Silver

Background: This study examines whether abnormal blood hemoglobin concentration (bHB) is associated with worse clinical outcomes and poorer prognosis after acute ischemic stroke. Methods: We included data from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network on consecutive patients with ischemic stroke who were admitted between July/2003 and March/2008. Patients were divided into groups as follows: low bHB, normal bHB, and high bHB. Primary outcome measures were the frequency of moderate/severe strokes on admission (Canadian Neurological Scale: <8), greater degree of disability at discharge (modified Rankin score: 3-6), and 30-day and 90-day mortality. Results: Higher bHB than the superior normal limit is associated with greater degree of impairment (OR=1.45, 95%CI: 1.06-1.95, p=0.0195) and disability (OR=1.49, 95%CI: 1.03-2.15, p=0.0331), and higher 30-day mortality (HR=1.98, 95%CI: 1.44-2.74, p<0.0001) after adjustment for major potential confounders. The Kaplan-Meier curves indicate that abnormal bHB is associated with higher mortality after acute ischemic stroke (p<0.0001). Lower bHB than the inferior normal limit is associated with longer stay in the acute stroke care center (OR=1.11, 95%CI: 1.02-1.22, p=0.017). Conclusions: Polycythemia on the initial admission is associated with poorer prognosis regarding the degree of impairment and disability, and 30-day mortality after an acute ischemic stroke. Anemia on admission is associated with longer stay in the acute stroke center.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alessandro Pezzini ◽  
Mario Grassi ◽  
Giorgio Silvestrelli ◽  
Martina Locatelli ◽  
Nicola Rifino ◽  
...  

Abstract Whether and how SARS-CoV-2 outbreak affected in-hospital acute stroke care system is still matter of debate. In the setting of the STROKOVID network, a collaborative project between the 10 centers designed as hubs for the treatment of acute stroke during SARS-CoV-2 outbreak in Lombardy, Italy, we retrospectively compared clinical features and process measures of patients with confirmed infection (COVID-19) and non-infected patients (non-COVID-19) who underwent reperfusion therapies for acute ischemic stroke. Between March 8 and April 30, 2020, 296 consecutive patients (median age, 74 [interquartile range (IQR), 62–80.75] years; males, 154 [52.0%]; 34 [11.5%] COVID-19) qualified for the analysis. Time from symptoms onset to treatment was longer in the COVID-19 group (230 [IQR, 200.5–270] minutes vs 190 [IQR, 150–245] minutes; p=0.007), especially in the first half of the study period. Patients with COVID-19 who underwent endovascular thrombectomy had more frequently absent collaterals or collaterals filling ≤50% of the occluded territory (50.0% vs 16.6%; OR, 5.05; 95% CI, 1.82–13.80) and a lower rate of good/complete recanalization of the primary arterial occlusive lesion (55.6% vs 81.0%; OR, 0.29; 95% CI, 0.10–0.80). Post-procedural intracranial hemorrhages were more frequent (35.3% vs 19.5%; OR, 2.24; 95% CI, 1.04-4.83) and outcome was worse among COVID-19 patients (in-hospital death, 38.2% vs 8.8%; OR, 6.43; 95% CI, 2.85-14.50). Our findings showed longer delays in the intra-hospital management of acute ischemic stroke in COVID-19 patients, especially in the early phase of the outbreak, that likely impacted patients outcome and should be the target of future interventions.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Gabriel Velilla-Alonso ◽  
Andrés García-Pastor ◽  
Ángela Rodríguez-López ◽  
Ana Gómez-Roldós ◽  
Antonio Sánchez-Soblechero ◽  
...  

Introduction: We analyzed whether the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis affected acute stroke care in our center during the first 2 months of lockdown in Spain. Methods: This is a single-center, retrospective study. We collected demographic, clinical, and radiological data; time course; and treatment of patients meeting the stroke unit admission criteria from March 14 to May 14, 2020 (COVID-19 period group). Data were compared with the same period in 2019 (pre-COVID-19 period group). Results: 195 patients were analyzed; 83 in the COVID-19 period group, resulting in a 26% decline of acute strokes and transient ischemic attacks (TIAs) admitted to our center compared with the previous year (p = 0.038). Ten patients (12%) tested positive for PCR SARS-CoV-2. The proportion of patients aged 65 years and over was lower in the COVID-19 period group (53 vs. 68.8%, p = 0.025). During the pandemic period, analyzed patients were more frequently smokers (27.7 vs. 10.7%, p = 0.002) and had less frequently history of prior stroke (13.3 vs. 25%, p = 0.043) or atrial fibrillation (9.6 vs. 25%, p = 0.006). ASPECTS score was lower (9 [7–10] vs. 10 [8–10], p = 0.032), NIHSS score was slightly higher (5 [2–14] vs. 4 [2–8], p = 0.122), onset-to-door time was higher (304 [93–760] vs. 197 [91.25–645] min, p = 0.104), and a lower proportion arrived within 4.5 h from onset of symptoms (43.4 vs. 58%, p = 0.043) during the CO­VID-19 period. There were no differences between proportion of patients receiving recanalization treatment (intravenous thrombolysis and/or mechanical thrombectomy) and in-hospital delays. Conclusion: We observed a reduction in the number of acute strokes and TIAs admitted during the COVID-19 period. This drop affected especially elderly patients, and despite a delay in their arrival to the emergency department, the proportion of patients treated with recanalization therapies was preserved.


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.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Archit Bhatt ◽  
Elizabeth Barban ◽  
Leslie Corless ◽  
Tamela Stuchiner ◽  
Amit Kansara

Background: Research has shown that subjects evaluated at (Primary Stroke Centers) PSCs are more likely to receive rt–PA than those evaluated at non–PSCs. It is unknown if telestroke evaluation affects rt-PA rates at non-PSCs. We hypothesized that with a robust telestroke system rt-TPA rates among PSCs and non-PSCs are not significantly different. Methods and Results: Data were obtained from the Providence Stroke Registry from January 2010 to December 2012. We identified ischemic stroke patients (n=3307) who received care in Oregon and Southwest Washington, which include 2 PSCs and 14 non-PSCs. Intravenous rt–PA was administered to 7.3% (n=242) of ischemic patients overall, 8.4% (n=79) at non–PSCs and 6.9% (n=163) at PSCs (p=.135). Stroke neurologists evaluated 5.2 % (n=172) of all ischemic stroke patients (n=3307) were evaluated via telestroke robot. Our analysis included AIS (Acute Ischemic Stroke) patients, those presenting within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. We identified 1070 AIS discharges from 16 hospitals of which 77.9 % (n=833) were at PSCs and 22.1 % (n=237) non-PSCs. For acute ischemic stroke patients (AIS) patients, those presenting within 4.5 hours of symptom onset, 22.1% (n=237) received rt-PA; 21.5% (n=74) presented at non–PSCs and 23.7% (n=163) presented at PSCs. Among AIS, bivariate analysis showed significant differences in treatment rates by race, age, NIHSS at admit, previous stroke or TIA, PVD, use of robot, smoking and time from patient arrival to CT completed. Using multiple logistic regression adjusting for these variables, treatment was significantly related to admit NIHSS (AOR=1.67, p<.001), history of stroke (AOR=.323, p<.001), TIA (AOR=.303, p=.01) and PVD (AOR=.176, p=.02), time to CT (.971, p<.001), and use of robot (7.76, p<.001). PSC designation was not significantly related to treatment (p=.06). Conclusions: Through the use of a robust telestroke system, there are no significant differences in the TPA treatment rates between non-PSC and PSC facilities. Telestroke systems can ensure stroke patients access to acute stroke care at non-PSC hospitals.


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