scholarly journals Effects of state-wide implementation of the Los Angeles Motor Scale for triage of stroke patients in clinical practice

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefanie Behnke ◽  
Thomas Schlechtriemen ◽  
Andreas Binder ◽  
Monika Bachhuber ◽  
Mark Becker ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The prehospital identification of stroke patients with large-vessel occlusion (LVO), that should be immediately transported to a thrombectomy capable centre is an unsolved problem. Our aim was to determine whether implementation of a state-wide standard operating procedure (SOP) using the Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS) is feasible and enables correct triage of stroke patients to hospitals offering (comprehensive stroke centres, CSCs) or not offering (primary stroke centres, PSCs) thrombectomy. Methods Prospective study involving all patients with suspected acute stroke treated in a 4-month period in a state-wide network of all stroke-treating hospitals (eight PSCs and two CSCs). Primary endpoint was accuracy of the triage SOP in correctly transferring patients to CSCs or PSCs. Additional endpoints included the number of secondary transfers, the accuracy of the LAMS for detection of LVO, apart from stroke management metrics. Results In 1123 patients, use of a triage SOP based on the LAMS allowed triage decisions according to LVO status with a sensitivity of 69.2% (95% confidence interval (95%-CI): 59.0–79.5%) and a specificity of 84.9% (95%-CI: 82.6–87.3%). This was more favourable than the conventional approach of transferring every patient to the nearest stroke-treating hospital, as determined by geocoding for each patient (sensitivity, 17.9% (95%-CI: 9.4–26.5%); specificity, 100% (95%-CI: 100–100%)). Secondary transfers were required for 14 of the 78 (17.9%) LVO patients. Regarding the score itself, LAMS detected LVO with a sensitivity of 67.5% (95%-CI: 57.1–78.0%) and a specificity of 83.5% (95%-CI: 81.0–86.0%). Conclusions State-wide implementation of a triage SOP requesting use of the LAMS tool is feasible and improves triage decision-making in acute stroke regarding the most appropriate target hospital.

Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Prasannna Tadi ◽  
Pranav Reddy ◽  
Sravanthi Pemmasani ◽  
Nasir Fakhri ◽  
Matthew Siket ◽  
...  

Introduction: Stroke is a common medical emergency. The outcome depends upon access to stroke specialists, rapid scanning, assessment, and treatments. Identification of large vessel occlusion (LVO) is critical in the selection of patients for emergency embolectomy (clot removal) in patients with acute ischemic stroke. A pre-hospital stroke severity scale, such as the Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS) may have utility in selecting appropriate patients for CTA, while minimizing radiation exposure risk to the population as a whole. Methods: This was a retrospective analysis of 249 consecutive code stroke activations at a comprehensive stroke center during a 3.5 month period using a LAMS cutoff of ≥4 to trigger CTA acquisition. We determined the sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value, and negative predictive value of using LAMS to detect large vessel occlusion (LVO). Gold standard was any vessel imaging within 24 hours. Inter-rater reliability of LAMS scoring was determined by blinded scoring of physical exam data from the chart by 3 neurovascular physicians. Results: There were 249 code stroke activations during the study period: 91 acute CTAs were recommended based on LAMS scoring. 20 large vessel occlusions were detected. 158 patients did not have a CTA acutely; none had a LVO during subsequent vessel imaging. The sensitivity is 100%, negative predictive value 100%, specificity 69%, positive predictive value 22% of the LAMS triage method. Inter-rater Reliability: Shrout-Fleiss pairwise weighted kappa coefficients between the three raters on LAMS scores were 0.67, 0.55, and 0.62. Kappa coefficients for pairs of raters when LAMS were dichotomized as <3 vs 4-5 were 0.64, 0.50, and 0.71. Clinically meaningful disagreements were evident. Conclusions: Accuracy and ease-of-use makes LAMS an ideal clinical tool to rapidly assess acute stroke patients for LVO and emergency mechanical thrombectomy. LAMS demonstrated excellent sensitivity in excluding patients who did not have a LVO. Appropriate training is required to ensure accuracy of LAMS scoring by providers.


Author(s):  
Juha-Pekka Pienimäki ◽  
Jyrki Ollikainen ◽  
Niko Sillanpää ◽  
Sara Protto

Abstract Purpose Mechanical thrombectomy (MT) is the first-line treatment in acute stroke patients presenting with large vessel occlusion (LVO). The efficacy of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) prior to MT is being contested. The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of MT without IVT in patients with no contraindications to IVT presenting directly to a tertiary stroke center with acute anterior circulation LVO. Materials and Methods We collected the data of 106 acute stroke patients who underwent MT in a single high-volume stroke center. Patients with anterior circulation LVO eligible for IVT and directly admitted to our institution who subsequently underwent MT were included. We recorded baseline clinical, laboratory, procedural, and imaging variables and technical, imaging, and clinical outcomes. The effect of intravenous thrombolysis on 3-month clinical outcome (mRS) was analyzed with univariate tests and binary and ordinal logistic regression analysis. Results Fifty-eight out of the 106 patients received IVT + MT. These patients had 2.6-fold higher odds of poorer clinical outcome in mRS shift analysis (p = 0.01) compared to MT-only patients who had excellent 3-month clinical outcome (mRS 0–1) three times more often (p = 0.009). There were no significant differences between the groups in process times, mTICI, or number of hemorrhagic complications. A trend of less distal embolization and higher number of device passes was observed among the MT-only patients. Conclusions MT without prior IVT was associated with an improved overall three-month clinical outcome in acute anterior circulation LVO patients.


Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shuichi Tonomura

Objective: The accuracy of prehospital diagnosis for stroke by emergency medical services (EMS) is improved using instruments for symptom recognition. On the other hand, prehospital misdiagnosis for stroke and subsequent delay in presentation to a hospital with stroke expertise play a critical role in the exclusion of potential therapeutic candidates. Our study aims to investigate the clinical characteristics of pseudo-negative cases in prehospital triage for stroke/TIA by EMS. Methods: From April 2013 to April 2014, consecutive 644 acute stroke patients were transferred by EMS to our hospital. We investigated prehospital diagnosis, Cincinnati prehospital stroke scale (CPSS) by EMS, neurological symptoms and complaints of patients themselves at stroke onset. We also examined activity of daily life (ADL) and cognitive impairments before stroke onset, and stroke subtypes in final diagnoses. Results: Among 644 acute stroke patients, 36 patients (22 men, mean 72.5±4.4 years old) were pseudo-negative cases in prehospital triage for stroke and had no abnormalities in CPSS by EMS. When EMS arrived at emergency site, 12 patients (33%) had loss of consciousness. Before stroke onset, 6 patients (17%) had impaired ADL (modified Rankin Scale >2), and 5 (14%) cognitive impairment. Among the stroke subtypes, the proportion of small vessel occlusion (22.4%, p=0.0025) and transient ischemic attack (TIA) (25%, p=0.0021) was significant higher in pseudo negative cases in prehospital triage; on the other hand, intracranial hemorrage (11%, p=0.0028) was lower. In complaint of patients themselves at stroke onset, weakness in one or two extremities was reported in 20 patients (56%), abnormal speech/language in 13 (36%), however all of them were not clarified by EMS. Conclusion: This study showed that small vessel occlusion and TIA tend to be misdiagnosed in a prehospital triage by EMS. The complaint of patients themselves at stroke onset is important to prehospital diagnoses by EMS.


2018 ◽  
Vol 7 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 196-203 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kessarin Panichpisal ◽  
Kenneth Nugent ◽  
Maharaj Singh ◽  
Richard Rovin ◽  
Reji Babygirija ◽  
...  

Background: Early identification of patients with acute ischemic strokes due to large vessel occlusions (LVO) is critical. We propose a simple risk score model to predict LVO. Method: The proposed scale (Pomona Scale) ranges from 0 to 3 and includes 3 items: gaze deviation, expressive aphasia, and neglect. We reviewed a cohort of all acute stroke activation patients between February 2014 and January 2016. The predictive performance of the Pomona Scale was determined and compared with several National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) cutoffs (≥4, ≥6, ≥8, and ≥10), the Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS), the Cincinnati Prehospital Stroke Severity (CPSS) scale, the Vision Aphasia and Neglect Scale (VAN), and the Prehospital Acute Stroke Severity Scale (PASS). Results: LVO was detected in 94 of 776 acute stroke activations (12%). A Pomona Scale ≥2 had comparable accuracy to predict LVO as the VAN and CPSS scales and higher accuracy than Pomona Scale ≥1, LAMS, PASS, and NIHSS. A Pomona Scale ≥2 had an accuracy (area under the curve) of 0.79, a sensitivity of 0.86, a specificity of 0.70, a positive predictive value of 0.71, and a negative predictive value of 0.97 for the detection of LVO. We also found that the presence of either neglect or gaze deviation alone had comparable accuracy of 0.79 as Pomona Scale ≥2 to detect LVO. Conclusion: The Pomona Scale is a simple and accurate scale to predict LVO. In addition, the presence of either gaze deviation or neglect also suggests the possibility of LVO.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Anita Tipirneni ◽  
Kristina Shkirkova ◽  
Nerses Sanossian ◽  
Sidney Starkman ◽  
Scott Hamilton ◽  
...  

Background: Stroke evolution after hospital arrival is well characterized for acute cerebral ischemia and intracranial hemorrhage. But with the advent of patient routing to designated stroke centers, and of prehospital stroke therapeutic trials, it is important to characterize stroke evolution in the earliest, prehospital moments of onset. Initial studies have prehospital evolution using serial Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) assessment; however, GCS assesses level of consciousness rather than focal deficits. Methods: In the NIH FAST-MAG trial database, we analyzed patient deficit evolution from time of first paramedic assessment to early post-arrival assessment in the ED, using serial scores on the GCS, serial scores on the Los Angeles Motor Scale (LAMS) (a prehospital stroke deficit measure), and the Paramedic Global Impression of Change (PGIC) score, a 5 point Likert paramedic-clinician score. Results: Among 1632 acute, EMS-transported neurovascular disease patients, 1,245 (76.3%) had a final diagnosis of acute cerebral ischemia and 387 (23.7%) of acute intracranial hemorrhage. Time of paramedic initial assessment was median 23 mins (IQR 14-41) after onset and time of early ED assessment 58 mins (IQR 46-78). Considering score changes by 2 or more as salient, overall the LAMS and GCS indicated approximately equal frequencies of prehospital deterioration (LAMS 11.1%, GCS 12.0%), but the LAMS indicated higher frequencies of prehospital improvement (LAMS 24.5% vs GCS 5.7%, p<0.001), due to the ceiling constraint of the GCS. The LAMS correlated more strongly than the GCS with the paramedic global impression of change among all patients, r=0.31 vs 0.19, and especially in acute cerebral ischemia patients, r=0.27 vs 0.08). The prehospital course differed by stroke subtype on the LAMS: acute cerebral ischemia: improved 30.7%, worsened 7.1%, stable 62.25%; intracranial hemorrhage: improved 4.5%, worsened 24.2%, stable 71.3%. Conclusions: Focal deficit scales are superior to the GCS in characterizing prehospital stroke evolution. Change in neurologic status occurs in more than one-third of acute stroke patients during transport and the early ED, with improvement more common in acute cerebral ischemia and deterioration more common in ICH.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zeguang Ren ◽  
Runqi Wangqin ◽  
Maxim Mokin ◽  
Anxin Wang ◽  
Liang Zhao ◽  
...  

Introduction: Vascular imaging after head CT to confirm large vessel occlusion (LVO) for acute stroke patients requires additional time and delays recanalization. We developed the T hrombectomy A cute M echanical re P erfusion A ssessment ( TAMPA ) scale for selecting patients with LVO for direct angiosuite transfer and intervention to improve recanalization time. Methods: The TAMPA scale was developed from our prospectively collected “Get with the Guidelines” database. We included all “stroke alert” patients between 1/2017 and 8/2018 with vascular imaging and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores between 5 and 25. We excluded patients with immediately obvious non-stroke diagnoses, those lacking subsequent vascular imaging, or those with incomplete records. Different variables were collected. The TAMPA scale receiver operating characteristics curve (ROC) was compared with the ROCs of other commonly used scales. Results: 571 eligible patients from 2115 “acute stroke alerts” were identified for developing the TAMPA scale. The scale was established with a combination of 5 items with a total score of 9: CT hyperdense sign, parenchymal hypodensity, lateralizing hemiparalysis, gaze deviation and speech disturbance. A cutoff of ≥ 4 yielded a sensitivity of 68.98%, specificity of 72.91%, false positive rate of 27.09%, and false negative rate of 31.02%. Compared with other scales, such as total NIHSS, C-stat/CPSSS, RACE, FAST-ED and 3I-SS, the TAMPA scale had the best ROC for the selected group of patients. Conclusions: The TAMPA scale accurately predicts presence of clinically amenable LVO in patients with moderate to severe ischemic stroke. Use of the TAMPA scale to identify high probability mechanical embolectomy candidates for direct transfer to the angiosuite could potentially reduce revascularization times and increase treatment rates.


Stroke ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 50 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Qing Hao ◽  
Jacob Morey ◽  
Xiangnan Zhang ◽  
Emily Chapman ◽  
Reade DeLeacy ◽  
...  

2015 ◽  
Vol 40 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 151-156 ◽  
Author(s):  
Florian Lauda ◽  
Hermann Neugebauer ◽  
Lars Reiber ◽  
Eric Jüttler

Background and Purpose: Non-arteritic branch/central retinal artery occlusions (BRAO/CRAO) and amaurosis fugax (AF) are predominantly caused by embolism. Additionally, transported embolic material could cause ischemic stroke. The aim of the study was to investigate the prevalence, pattern and underlying cause of concurrent acute brain infarctions in unselected patients with RAO and AF. Methods: A total of 213 consecutive patients with BRAO (20.7%), CRAO (47.4%), or AF (31.9%) were retrospectively studied from 2008 to 2013. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was used to detect acute brain infarctions and a cardiovascular workup was performed to detect underlying etiologies according to the Trial of Org 10172 in Acute Stroke Management (TOAST). Results: MRI was obtained after 23.78 (±32.26) hours from the time of symptom onset. Acute brain infarctions were detected in 49 patients (23%); 44 of them (89.8%) did not experience any additional neurological symptoms. Older age (p < 0.001/p < 0.001), hypertension (p = 0.01/p = 0.03), atrial fibrillation (p = 0.006/p = 0.03) and type of RAO (p = 0.02/p = 0.016) were associated with total/silent stroke, respectively. In multivariate analysis, only age and type of occlusion remained positive predictors for silent stroke. Etiology of BRAO/CRAO and AF remained undetermined in 124 patients (58.2%). This rate was lower in patients with acute stroke (40.8 vs. 63.4%). Conclusions: Silent brain infarction is a frequent finding in unselected patients with BRAO/CRAO and AF. Etiology remains undetermined in approximately every second case. Because silent brain infarctions bear a high risk of future stroke, patients with BRAO/CRAO and AF should undergo prompt neuroimaging and cardiovascular checkup, preferably on a stroke unit.


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