Abstract WP277: Race Score is Scalable to Other Ems Systems; A Sensitivity Analysis

Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharjeel Panjwani ◽  
Julie Shawver ◽  
Syed F Zaidi ◽  
Mouhammad A Jumaa

Back Ground: Rapid Arterial Occlusion Evaluation Scale (RACE) was first instituted in Barcelona and described in 2014 to successfully assess stroke severity and identify patients with acute stroke with large vessel occlusion (LVO) at pre-hospital setting by medical emergency technicians. Objective: We instituted Rapid Arterial Occlusion Evaluation Scale (RACE) hospital bypass protocol (RA) in Lucas county, Ohio since July 2015. Our aim in this study is to evaluate the sensitivity of our RACE protocol in identifying cerebro-vascular accidents and furthermore to identify ischemic CVAs from the cohort. Method: All county EMS personnel (N=464) underwent training in the Rapid Arterial Occlusion Evaluation (RACE) score. The RACE Alert (RA) protocol, whereby patients with stroke symptoms, who were last seen normal less than 12 hours and had a RACE score ≥5 were taken to a facility that has neuro-interventional capacity, was implemented in July 2015. An IRB approved prospective DB was maintained during that period. Patient’s stroke characteristics, type of acute treatment and final diagnosis on discharge were reviewed for the purpose of this abstract. Our results were comparable to the Spanish study done in Barcelona in 2014. Results: Between Jul 2016-Jun 2016 186 RAs were activated. The discharge diagnoses included ischemic stroke N=91 (49%), ICH N=26 (14%) and TIA N=17(9%). The rate of stroke mimic was N=52 (28%) of the total RACE alerts. These included seizures (12%), metabolic encephalotpathy (12%) and others including sepsis and migraines. Of the patients presenting as RA, 33% underwent IV tPA treatment ± mechanical thrombectomy. Conclusion: Results from our prospective county wide data is comparable to prior studies. RACE score may be scalable to other EMS systems to triage potential LVOs for direct transfer to centers with interventional capabilities.

2019 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mouhammad A Jumaa ◽  
Alicia C Castonguay ◽  
Hisham Salahuddin ◽  
Julie Shawver ◽  
Linda Saju ◽  
...  

BackgroundData on the implementation of prehospital large vessel occlusion (LVO) scales to identify and triage patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in the field are limited, with the majority of studies occurring outside the USA.ObjectiveTo report our long-term experience of a US countywide emergency medical services (EMS) acute stroke triage protocol using the Rapid Arterial oCclusion Evaluation (RACE) score.MethodsOur prospective database was used to identify all consecutive patients triaged within Lucas County, Ohio by the EMS with (1) a RACE score ≥5, taken directly to an endovascular capable center (ECC) as RACE-alerts (RA) and (2) a RACE score <5, taken to the nearest hospital as stroke-alerts (SA). Baseline demographics, RACE score, time metrics, final diagnosis, treatments, and clinical and angiographic outcomes were captured. The sensitivity and specificity for patients with a RACE score ≥5 with LVO, eligible for mechanical thrombectomy (MT), were calculated.ResultsBetween July 2015 and June 2018, 492 RA and 1147 SA were triaged within our five-hospital network. Of the RA, 37% had AIS secondary to LVOs. Of the 492 RA and 1147 SA, 125 (25.4%) and 38 (3.3%), respectively, underwent MT (OR=9.9; 95% CI 6.8 to 14.6; p<0.0001). Median times from onset-to-ECC arrival (74 vs 167 min, p=0.03) and dispatch-to-ECC arrival (31 vs 46 min, p=0.0002) were shorter in the RA-MT than in the SA-MT cohort. A RACE cut-off point ≥5 showed a sensitivity and specificity of 0.77 and 0.75 for detection of patients with LVO eligible for MT, respectively.ConclusionsWe have demonstrated the long-term feasibility of a countywide EMS-based prehospital triage protocol using the RACE Scale within our hospital network.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Diogo C Haussen ◽  
Raul G Nogueira ◽  
Nirav Bhatt ◽  
Carol Flemming ◽  
Nicolas Bianchi ◽  
...  

Introduction: FAST-ED scale is a helpful tool to triage stroke patients in the field. However, data on the accuracy of the scale in the pre-hospital setting is lacking. We aim to validate the use of FAST-ED by paramedics in a mobile stroke unit (MSU) covering a metropolis. Methods: As part of standard operating MSU procedures, paramedics clinically evaluated patients. If the event characterized a stroke alert, the FAST-ED score was determined by the paramedic (in-person) upon patient contact, and independently by a vascular neurologist (telemedicine) immediately after the paramedic evaluation. An MSU nurse determined the NIHSS. This will allow testing of the inter-rater agreement of the FAST-ED scoring performance between on-site pre-hospital providers and remotely located vascular neurologists. Results: In the first 13 months of the MSU’s activity 193 stroke-alert patients were evaluated. 103 (53%) patients had a final diagnosis of stroke/TIA (75/28, respectively), 21 (11%) intracranial hemorrhage, and 69 (36%) were considered stroke mimics. 28 (14%) patients received intravenous alteplase. In the first 48 patients, FAST-ED was only scored by the paramedic and in 145 patients by both the physician and paramedic. FAST-ED scores matched perfectly amongst paramedics and physicians in 77 (53%) instances, while there was only 1-point difference in 51 (35%), 2-point difference in 10 (6%) and 3-point difference in two. Correlation between physician and paramedic FAST-ED scores was highly positive (rho 0.898; 2-sided p<0.001), as well as the correlation between physicians FAST-ED score and NIHSS (rho 0.853; 2-sided p<0.001). When the physician recorded FAST-ED score≥3 (n=62), the paramedics also scored FAST-ED≥3 in the vast majority of instances (n=55; 89%). After hospital arrival, cerebrovascular imaging was deemed necessary and performed in 144 patients within 24 hours of arrival. A visible large vessel occlusion was identified in 30 patients; 18 occlusions were identified with a FAST-ED≥3 while 12 were missed (10/12 had NIHSS≤5). Conclusion: The correlation of the FAST-ED scoring between vascular neurologists and paramedics was highly positive, indicating that FAST-ED is accurately and reliably utilized by paramedics in the pre-hospital setting.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Muhammad H Niazi ◽  
Mohammad El-Ghanem ◽  
Alicia Richardson ◽  
Kathy Morrison ◽  
Reichwein Raymond ◽  
...  

Background: In 2015 guidelines regarding endovascular treatment (ET) of Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS) were changed, leading to more patients being transferred to comprehensive stroke centers (CSC) for ET in selected patients, sometimes bypassing primary stroke centers. In the era of ET, there is a need for a simple yet sensitive pre-hospital tool to triage appropriate patients to CSCs. Many prehospital stroke scales predicting LVO are not in widespread clinical use because they are complex and not reliable. A recently published Denmark study demonstrated the PASS tool (Score range 0-3) for detecting LVO where a score of ≥2 was considered to be optimal in predicting LVO with sensitivity of 0.66. Methods: A retrospective analysis of AIS patients with confirmed anterior circulation LVO by catheter-based cerebral angiography between January 2015 and June 2016 was conducted. PASS scores were calculated and correlated with NIHSS to assess for severity of the stroke. Results: Fifty-four patients received ET during the study period. Those who had posterior circulation LVO were excluded, leaving 44 patients for final analysis. Only 5 (11.4%) patients had PASS score of <2 while 39 patients (88.6 %) had a score of ≥2 showing sensitivity of 0.89 for those patients with LVO. Average NIHSS scores were 11 (95% CI 6.6-15) for PASS <2 and 20 (95% CI 18.5-22.5) for PASS ≥2 (p value 0.005). Conclusion: The PASS tool is simple, quick, and easy to perform and has high sensitivity in AIS patients with LVO. To assess its value and efficacy in real time it should be implemented into EMS systems and be performed in the pre-hospital setting.


2021 ◽  

GEAcute ischemic stroke is one of the leading causes of death and long-term disability for adults. Endovascular therapy is the standard of care for severe acute ischemic stroke, caused by large-vessel occlusion in the anterior circulation; however, the optimal anaesthetic management during the procedure is still a matter of debate. The best anesthetic treatment should mainly be related to patients’ clinical conditions and the site of arterial occlusion. With this article, we share our experience based on the use of ketamine as the choosen hypnotic drug for general anesthesia, in order to avoid a sudden drop in blood pressure. The core of our proposal approach is the general anesthesia management by the medical emergency team with skills on both time-dependent diseases and neurocritical care.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuichi Miyazaki ◽  
Tomoyuki Tsumoto ◽  
Ryu Matsuo ◽  
Tetsuro Ago ◽  
Masahiro Kamouchi ◽  
...  

Background: We aimed to design a prehospital scale to predict candidates for endovascular thrombectomy (CET) in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS). Materials and methods: In the Fukuoka Stroke Registry, we identified 3,470 patients with AIS who were transferred by emergency medical service within 24 hours of stroke onset and underwent intracranial vessel evaluation on admission from September 2007 to December 2015. CET were defined as patients with causative occlusion of internal carotid artery, middle cerebral artery, or basilar artery, and National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score ≥ 6. The Fukuoka Acute Stroke ThrombEctomy pRediction (FASTER) scale was developed with NIHSS items based on the predictive importance derived from random forest analysis to predict CET. The discriminative performance was compared with other published scales for large vessel occlusion. Results: The FASTER scale was designed comprising of 4 NIHSS items : one point each was given for extinction and inattention (NIHSS subscore ≥ 1), best gaze (≥ 1), best language (≥ 1), and motor arm (≥ 2). Receiver operator curves demonstrated that the area under the curve of the FASTER scale was significantly larger than that of the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Severity Scale (0.907 vs 0.881, p<0.001), and not significantly different from that of the Rapid Arterial oCclusion Evaluation scale (vs 0.910, p= 0.68). The FASTER scale score ≥2 showed sensitivity of 88.4%, specificity 82.3%, positive predictive value 51.3%, and negative predictive value 97.1% for detecting CET. Conclusion: The FASTER scale is a simple and promising tool that can identify CET in the prehospital setting.


2020 ◽  
Vol 132 (4) ◽  
pp. 1182-1187 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carrie E. Andrews ◽  
Nikolaos Mouchtouris ◽  
Evan M. Fitchett ◽  
Fadi Al Saiegh ◽  
Michael J. Lang ◽  
...  

OBJECTIVEMechanical thrombectomy (MT) is now the standard of care for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) secondary to large-vessel occlusion, but there remains a question of whether elderly patients benefit from this procedure to the same degree as the younger populations enrolled in the seminal trials on MT. The authors compared outcomes after MT of patients 80–89 and ≥ 90 years old with AIS to those of younger patients.METHODSThe authors retrospectively analyzed records of patients undergoing MT at their institution to examine stroke severity, comorbid conditions, medical management, recanalization results, and clinical outcomes. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used to compare patients < 80 years, 80–89 years, and ≥ 90 years old.RESULTSAll groups had similar rates of comorbid disease and tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) administration, and stroke severity did not differ significantly between groups. Elderly patients had equivalent recanalization outcomes, with similar rates of readmission, 30-day mortality, and hospital-associated complications. These patients were more likely to have poor clinical outcome on discharge, as defined by a modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 3–6, but this difference was not significant when controlled for stroke severity, tPA administration, and recanalization results.CONCLUSIONSOctogenarians, nonagenarians, and centenarians with AIS have similar rates of mortality, hospital readmission, and hospital-associated complications as younger patients after MT. Elderly patients also have the capacity to achieve good functional outcome after MT, but this potential is moderated by stroke severity and success of treatment.


2021 ◽  
pp. neurintsurg-2020-017155
Author(s):  
Alexander M Kollikowski ◽  
Franziska Cattus ◽  
Julia Haag ◽  
Jörn Feick ◽  
Alexander G März ◽  
...  

BackgroundEvidence of the consequences of different prehospital pathways before mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in large vessel occlusion stroke is inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the infarct extent and progression before and after MT in directly admitted (mothership) versus transferred (drip and ship) patients using the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT Score (ASPECTS).MethodsASPECTS of 535 consecutive large vessel occlusion stroke patients eligible for MT between 2015 to 2019 were retrospectively analyzed for differences in the extent of baseline, post-referral, and post-recanalization infarction between the mothership and drip and ship pathways. Time intervals and transport distances of both pathways were analyzed. Multiple linear regression was used to examine the association between infarct progression (baseline to post-recanalization ASPECTS decline), patient characteristics, and logistic key figures.ResultsASPECTS declined during transfer (9 (8–10) vs 7 (6-9), p<0.0001), resulting in lower ASPECTS at stroke center presentation (mothership 9 (7–10) vs drip and ship 7 (6–9), p<0.0001) and on follow-up imaging (mothership 7 (4–8) vs drip and ship 6 (3–7), p=0.001) compared with mothership patients. Infarct progression was significantly higher in transferred patients (points lost, mothership 2 (0–3) vs drip and ship 3 (2–6), p<0.0001). After multivariable adjustment, only interfacility transfer, preinterventional clinical stroke severity, the degree of angiographic recanalization, and the duration of the thrombectomy procedure remained predictors of infarct progression (R2=0.209, p<0.0001).ConclusionsInfarct progression and postinterventional infarct extent, as assessed by ASPECTS, varied between the drip and ship and mothership pathway, leading to more pronounced infarction in transferred patients. ASPECTS may serve as a radiological measure to monitor the benefit or harm of different prehospital pathways for MT.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Anna Ramos-Pachón ◽  
Álvaro García-Tornel ◽  
Mònica Millán ◽  
Marc Ribó ◽  
Sergi Amaro ◽  
...  

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant healthcare reorganizations, potentially striking standard medical care. We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute stroke care quality and clinical outcomes to detect healthcare system’s bottlenecks from a territorial point of view. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Crossed-data analysis between a prospective nation-based mandatory registry of acute stroke, Emergency Medical System (EMS) records, and daily incidence of COVID-19 in Catalonia (Spain). We included all stroke code activations during the pandemic (March 15–May 2, 2020) and an immediate prepandemic period (January 26–March 14, 2020). Primary outcomes were stroke code activations and reperfusion therapies in both periods. Secondary outcomes included clinical characteristics, workflow metrics, differences across types of stroke centers, correlation analysis between weekly EMS alerts, COVID-19 cases, and workflow metrics, and impact on mortality and clinical outcome at 90 days. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Stroke code activations decreased by 22% and reperfusion therapies dropped by 29% during the pandemic period, with no differences in age, stroke severity, or large vessel occlusion. Calls to EMS were handled 42 min later, and time from onset to hospital arrival increased by 53 min, with significant correlations between weekly COVID-19 cases and more EMS calls (rho = 0.81), less stroke code activations (rho = −0.37), and longer prehospital delays (rho = 0.25). Telestroke centers were afflicted with higher reductions in stroke code activations, reperfusion treatments, referrals to endovascular centers, and increased delays to thrombolytics. The independent odds of death increased (OR 1.6 [1.05–2.4], <i>p</i> 0.03) and good functional outcome decreased (mRS ≤2 at 90 days: OR 0.6 [0.4–0.9], <i>p</i> 0.015) during the pandemic period. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> During the COVID-19 pandemic, Catalonia’s stroke system’s weakest points were the delay to EMS alert and a decline of stroke code activations, reperfusion treatments, and interhospital transfers, mostly at local centers. Patients suffering an acute stroke during the pandemic period had higher odds of poor functional outcome and death. The complete stroke care system’s analysis is crucial to allocate resources appropriately.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda F Aulmann ◽  
Kira Busch ◽  
Andrea Zegelin ◽  
Thomas Eckey ◽  
Alexander Neumann ◽  
...  

Purpose: With highly portable mobile infrared cameras thermal imaging during acute stroke triage has become possible. The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the pattern of superficial facial skin temperature in patients with acute proximal arterial occlusion of the anterior circulation compared to non-ischemic controls. We hypothesize, that temperature dysregulation in stroke with associated thermal pattern may be used to predict presence of proximal vessel occlusion. Methods: In 46 patients suffering from acute occlusion in the anterior circulation (ICA: 17, M1-MCA: 13, M2-MCA: 16) infrared thermal imaging of the face was performed before endovascular treatment. Asymmetric temperature patterns were evaluated visually. Quantitative temperature values were obtained from regions of interest (ROIs) placed symmetrically on the left and right half of on the facial thermal image. Presence and side of vessel occlusion was correlated with temperature measurements. Results: Regional facial asymmetric temperature was readily visible at 0.5°C. Temperature differences ranged from 0.5 to 1.5° C in stroke patients, and <0.5°C in controls. In 16 of 17 patients with ICA occlusion, facial asymmetric temperature was detected (in 13 lower temperatures on ipsilateral side, in 3 on the contralateral side). In 11 of 13 patients with M1-MCA occlusion, facial asymmetric temperature was detected (in 8 lower temperatures on the contralateral side, 3 on the ipsilateral side). In 15 of 16 patients with an occlusion of M2-segment, asymmetric temperature pattern was apparent, however no clear trend with regard. In 16 of 20 controls, no asymmetric temperature pattern >0.5°C was observed. Conclusion: Thermal imaging could serve as a fast point-of-care test to detect asymmetrical pattern in facial temperature as a predictor of proximal vessel occlusion in stroke. However, the current method is prone to imaging artifacts and reliability of detected asymmetry is moderate.


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ravyn Howell ◽  
Randheer S Yadav ◽  
Sushil Lakhani ◽  
Sharon Heaton ◽  
Karen L Wiles ◽  
...  

Introduction: Telestroke allows stroke expertise for thrombolysis decision making remotely using high-quality bidirectional audiovisual technology. Hypothesis: Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IVtPA) is administered via telestroke network to a proportion of patients without a stroke diagnosis (i.e. stroke mimic) Methods: Our academic comprehensive stroke program telestroke program includes 26 spoke Emergency rooms (ERs) through which IVtPA is administered throughout central Ohio. From July 1, 2016 to Sept 30, 2017, nearly all patients who received IVtPA at the outside hospital telestroke ERs were transferred to our institution for post-IVtPA care. Data was collected on final diagnosis, demographics, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), door to needle (DTN) time, and outcomes. Results: Among 270 acute ischemic stroke patients who received IVtPA via telestroke, we identified 64 (23.7%) with a stroke mimic diagnosis. Stroke mimics were younger (mean age 56.4 vs 68.2, p <0.0001), more likely female (60.9% vs 45.6%, p 0.03), and had higher DTN times (85.3 vs 69.9 minutes, p 0.0008). The increase in DTN was due to longer time to recommend by the telestroke neurologist for stroke mimic (65.0 vs 53.2 minutes, p 0.0034). The stroke mimic diagnosis included Migraine 26 (40.6%), Factitious disorder 12 (18.8%), Encephalopathy 7 (10.9%), and Unmasking 6 (9.4%). The stroke mimics did not differ from each other based upon initial NIHSS, DTN, or sex. Compared to the other stroke mimics, Migraine and Factitious disorder patients were younger (51.2 vs 63.9 years, p <0.0006), more likely to have a personal history of migraines (42.1% vs 0%, p < 0.0001), and more likely to have functional exam findings (42.1% vs 3.8%, p 0.0007). There were no hemorrhagic complications in the stroke mimic patients. Among all stroke mimics, 26 (40.6%) had a history of similar prior episodes and 10 (15.6%) would have future recurrence of another similar episode, with 2 patients receiving IVtPA again in the future (1 Migraine and 1 Factitious disorder). Conclusions: In a tertiary academic telestroke network, nearly one-quarter of patients receive IVtPA for a non-stroke diagnosis, with migraine and factitious disorder being the most commonly seen.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document