Abstract 32: Intravenous Tpa Delays Door-to-puncture Time in Acute Ischemic Stroke With Large Vessel Occlusion
Background: The current 2018 AHA/ASA Guidelines for early stroke management recommend use of IV tPA in all eligible acute ischemic stroke patients within 4.5 hours of onset while being considered for mechanical thrombectomy (MT). Whether or not tPA administration is beneficial prior to thrombectomy is still an ongoing debate. Potential delay of MT initiation due to tPA start is a major concern but has not been well-delineated in empirical studies. Methods: In a prospective large volume comprehensive stroke center registry, we analyzed all patients with acute ischemic stroke due to large vessel occlusion (AIS-LVO) treated with thrombectomy between 2012-2017, who arrived directly from field to ED within 4.5h of last known well. Patients without contraindication to IV-tPA are given bolus dose in the scanner suite and the remainder of the 1h infusion en route to and in the angio-suite to prevent delay. Results: Among 777 thrombectomy patients identified in the database, 237 arrived directly within 4.5 hours from onset, including 65.8% (156) not treated with IV-tPA and 34.2% (81) receiving IV-tPA, both well-matched in age and NIHSS. Overall, the door-to-needle (DTN) time was 40m (IQR31-56), surpassing the Target Stroke national targets (60m and 45m) active during the study period. However, median door-to-puncture (DTP) time was 22m longer in the IV-tPA group, 74 vs 52m (p<0.001). IV-tPA was not independently associated with better recanalization rate (TICI 2B-3 95.9% vs 92.9%) or functional independent outcome (modified Rankin score 0-2) at 90 days, 37.3% vs 39.4%. Conclusion: IV-tPA administration in AIS-LVO was associated with delayed door-to-puncture times in a comprehensive stroke center with efficient DTN times surpassing advanced national targets, without change in recanalization rate or outcomes. Randomized trials are needed to determine the net positive, neutral, or negative effect of IV-tPA in this population.