scholarly journals “Hesitating and Puzzling”: The Experiences and Decision Process of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with Prehospital Delay after the Onset of Symptoms

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 1061
Author(s):  
Pao-Yu Wang ◽  
Lee-Ing Tsao ◽  
Yu-Wei Chen ◽  
Ying-Tao Lo ◽  
Hui-Lin Sun
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Sudden Change ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Disable Person ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Prehospital Delay

Despite campaigns to increase public awareness of stroke symptoms by advocating FAST (Face-Arms-Speech-Time), some stroke patients still show delays in the recognition of and response to stroke symptoms and miss the golden first 4.5 h to receive rt-PA (recombinant tissue plasminogen activator) treatment. The aim of this study was to explore how acute ischemic stroke patients with prehospital delay seek help and undergo the decision process before arriving at the hospital. A qualitative approach using a grounded theory was applied. There were 24 ischemic stroke patients recruited by purposive sampling. Our main findings were: “Hesitating and puzzling” was the core category to describe and guide the process of acute ischemic stroke patients with prehospital delay. During the process, “Awareness the sudden change of physical sensation and/or function” was the antecedent category. In the prehospital delay experience, the following five interaction categories were identified: (1) “Self-judgment and interpretation according to previous experience,” (2) “Puzzling and doubting—it may only be a minor problem,” (3) “Self-treatment or seeking medical attention nearby,” (4) “Unexpected symptoms getting worse” needing immediate advanced medical help and (5) “Rushing to ER with different transportation—self-alerting that serious disease is coming.” Eventually, the patients “Regret to delay seeking treatment and become a disable person.” The process of prehospital delay provides some hidden cues for patients to increase their knowledge about strokes. The study emphasizes the importance of educating community residents about identifying stroke symptoms, breaking the myth of folk therapy, and seeking medical attention immediately. These results will assist healthcare providers by offering references for designing patient-centric educational strategies for preventing stroke prehospital delay to improve the quality of stroke medical care.

scholarly journals “Hesitating and puzzling”: The experiences and decision process of acute ischaemic stroke patients with prehospital delay after the onset of symptoms

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
pao yu Wang¹ ◽  
Lee-Ing Tsao² ◽  
Mei-Hsiang Lin² ◽  
Yu-Wei Chen³ ◽  
Ying-Tao Lo⁴
Keyword(s):  
Ischaemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischaemic Stroke ◽  
Decision Process ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Healthcare Providers ◽  
Disable Person ◽  
Medical Attention ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Prehospital Delay ◽  
To Receive

Abstract Background Despite campaigns to increase public awareness of stroke symptoms by advocating FAST(Face-Arms-Speech-Time), some stroke patients still show delays in the recognition of and response to stroke symptoms and miss the golden first 4.5 hours to receive rt-PA treatment. The aim of this study was to explore how acute ischaemic stroke patients with prehospital delay seek help and undergo the decision process before arriving at the hospital. Methods A qualitative approach using a grounded theory was applied. There were 24 ischaemic stroke patients recruited by purposive sampling. Results “Hesitating and puzzling” was the core category to describe and guide the process of acute ischaemic stroke patients with prehospital delay. During this process, “Sudden loss of physical limbs sensation and dysfunction” was identified as the antecedent condition. This process would be marked by action and interaction among the following categories: “Self-judgement and self-rationalization”, “Self-treatment and seek medical attention nearby”, “Puzzling and doubting-it may only be a minor problem”, “Worse symptoms” needing immediate advanced medical help and “Rush to nearby ER-self-alerting that serious disease is coming”. Eventually, the patients would be informed that they were admitted to the ER too late to receive rt-PA and would become sad, melancholy and regretful about becoming a disable person. Conclusions The study emphasizes the importance of educating the community residents about identifying stroke symptoms and seeking medical attention immediately. These results will assist the healthcare providers by offering references for designing patient-centric educational strategies for preventing stroke pre-hospital delay to improve the quality of stroke medical care.

Abstract T P66: Safety and Effectiveness of Intravenous Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients on Aspirin and Clopidogrel

Stroke ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 46 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mushtaq H Qureshi ◽  
Shayaan M Khan ◽  
Nauman Jahangir ◽  
Ahmed A Malik ◽  
Melissa Freese ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Combination Therapy ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Favorable Outcome ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Neurological Improvement ◽  
Tissue Plasminogen

Background: The number of acute ischemic stroke patients who are on both aspirin and clopidogrel treatment at time of acute ischemic event is increasing. There is limited data regarding the safety and efficacy of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) treatment in such patients. Methods: We reviewed the medical records and imaging data of consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke who received IV rt-PA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. We stratified the patients based on active regular use of antiplatelet medications: monotherapy (aspirin or clopidogrel), combination therapy (aspirin and clopidogrel), and no therapy and compared the rates of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH), neurological improvement (≥4 points in National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS], and favorable outcome (modified Rankin scale [mRS] 0-1) at discharge between the three groups. Results: A total of 88 acute ischemic stroke patients (mean age±SD; 69.88 ±15) were treated with IV rt-PA within the study duration. Of the 88 patients 45 (50.6%), 37 (41.6%), and 52 (58.4) were on monotherapy, combination therapy, or no therapy at time of presentation. The proportion of patients who developed symptomatic ICHs were similar (p=0.8) in monotherapy, combination therapy, and no therapy groups (3.3%, 0.0%, and 4.1%, respectively). The rates of neurological improvement were greater in patients on monotherapy (20%) (p=0.03) followed by combination therapy (11.1%), and no therapy groups (2.0%). There was no significant reduction in the rate of favorable outcome at discharge among patients on combination treatment compared with no treatment (odds ratio 0.8 , 95% confidence interval 0.4-1.8 ) after adjusting for age and initial NIHSS score strata (<10, 10-19, and ≥20). Conclusions: Compared with patients on no antiplatelet treatment, acute ischemic stroke patients who are actively using aspirin and clopidogrel appear to have similar risks and benefits with IV rt-PA treatment.

Abstract TMP18: An Analysis of Fixed Dose IV Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rtPA) and Clinical Outcome in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with Body Weight >100 kg: Pooled Data From Three Randomized Clinical Trials

Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Shahram Majidi ◽  
Christopher Leon Guerrero ◽  
Kathleen Burger ◽  
Adnan Qureshi
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Fixed Dose ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Ordinal Analysis ◽  
Pooled Data ◽  
Tissue Plasminogen

Background: The ASA/AHA guidelines recommend a fixed dose of 90 mg of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator(rt-PA) for acute stroke patients weighing more than 100 kilograms(kg). Previous analyses in small studies have suggested that the magnitude of benefit with IV rt-PA is lower in patients with body weight >100 kg. We determined if body weight >100 kg(and receiving <0.9 mg/kg dose) independently influence patient clinical outcomes following IV rt-PA treatment. Methods: We pooled data from IV rt-PA treatment arms from 3 randomized controlled trials; NINDS IV rt-PA study, IMS-III and Albumin Treatment of Acute Ischemic Stroke(ALIAS part 1 and 2). Patients demographic, stroke severity, comorbidities, hospital outcome and 90-day modified Rankin Scale(mRS) were compared between patients >100 kg and those ≤100 kg body weight(defined by estimated weight). Multivariate logistic regression model was used to identify independent effect of >100 kg body weight on 90-day favorable outcome(defined as mRS 0-2). An ordinal analysis of the mRS was also performed. Results: Among 977 patients treated with IV rt-PA, total of 111 subjects had body weight >100 kg(11% of all patients). The mean age(±SD) for the patients with weight >100 Kg was significantly lower(60±11 versus 68±13, p<0.0001). The median admission NIHSS score was not different between the two groups(12 versus 13, p=0.08). Patients with weight >100 kg had higher rates of history of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and hyperlipidemia. Patients with body weight >100 kg had longer period(days±SD) of hospitalization(11±14 versus 8±7, p=0.04). Compared with patients with ≤100 kg body weight, the rate of favorable outcome at 90 days was not significantly different among patients with >100 kg body weight[OR; (95% CI): 0.99 (0.91-1.04)p=0.91], after adjusting for potential confounders. The ordinal analysis did not showed any significant shift in the distribution of scores on the mRS in patients with >100 kg body weight(OR, 0.93; 95% CI, 0.64 to 1.37; P = 0.74). Conclusion: Body weight >100 kg(and receiving <0.9 mg/kg dose) did not reduce the benefit of IV rt-PA treatment in acute ischemic stroke patients. Our results support the current recommendations in the ASA/AHA guidelines.

Abstract 122: Quality of Care for Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke as a Function of Hospital Intravenous Thrombolysis With Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator Capability: Insights From China National Stroke Registry II

2017 ◽  
Vol 10 (suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhenzhen Rao ◽  
Zixiao Li ◽  
Hongqiu Gu ◽  
Yilong Wang ◽  
Yongjun Wang
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
Care Quality ◽  
Composite Score ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Stroke Registry

Background: Intravenous Thrombolysis with Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator (rt-PA) availability at Chinese hospitals varies and may affect care quality for acute ischemic stroke patients. Limited research has shown whether there were differences in quality of care at China National Stroke Registry (CNSR II) hospitals based on rt-PA capability. Methods: For acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to CNSR II hospitals between 2012 and 2013, care quality at hospitals with or without Intravenous rt-PA capability was examined by evaluating conformity with performance and quality measures. The primary outcome was guideline-concordant care, defined as compliance with 10 predefined individual guideline-recommended performance metrics and composite score. A composite score was defined as the total number of interventions actually performed among eligible patients divided by the total number of recommended interventions among eligible patients. Propensity score matching was used to balance the baseline characteristics. We used cox model with shared frailty model and logistic regression with generalized estimating equation to compare the relationship between hospitals with rt-PA capability and hospitals without rt-PA on quality measures. Results: This study included 19604 acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to 219 CNSR II hospitals. Before matching, there were 7928 patients admitted to 86 (40.4%) hospitals with rt-PA capability and 11676 patients admitted to 133 (59.6%) hospitals without rt-PA capability. After matching, 7606 pairs of patients in rt-PA-capable hospitals and rt-PA-incapable hospitals were analyzed. Before matching, the composite score of guideline-concordant process of care was higher at hospitals with rt-PA capability than hospitals without rt-PA capability (74% versus 73%, P=0.0126). Hospitals with rt-PA capability were more likely to perform deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis within 48 hours of admission, dysphagia screening, assessment or receiving of rehabilitation, discharge antithrombotic, anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation and medications for lowering low-density lipoprotein (LDL) ≥100mg/dL. But hospitals with rt-PA capability were less likely to perform antithrombotic medication within 48 hours of admission and hypoglycemic therapy at discharge for patients with diabetes. After matching, differences of stroke care quality between hospitals with rt-PA capability and without rt-PA capability still exist after adjusting covariates. Conclusions: The CNSR II hospitals were associated with better performance in some of the hospitals but not all of them. The difference in conformity between rt-PA-capable hospitals and rt-PA-incapable hospitals was modest for performance measures of stroke care. However, more room for improvement still exists in key quality performance measures and further studies should be explored.

Abstract WP67: Ultra-early Institution of Statin Treatment is Associated With Improved Outcomes Among Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Receiving Thrombolytic Treatment

Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Adnan I Qureshi ◽  
Muhammad A Saleem
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Activities Of Daily Living ◽  
Endovascular Treatment ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Daily Living ◽  
Recombinant Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Statin Treatment ◽  
Functional Independence ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Statin Use

Background: There is preliminary evidence that early statin use may improve the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke patients following endovascular treatment. Methods: We analyzed data from subjects treated with intravenous (IV) recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) alone or in combination with endovascular treatment the Interventional Management of Stroke III trial. We compared the rates of functional independence (defined by modified Rankin scale of 0-2) and minimal impairment of activities of daily living (Barthel index at 90 days 95-100)at 3 and 12 months among subjects with ultra-early institution of statin treatment (on Day 0) with those in whom statin treatment was not initiated and in those in whom statins were initiated between Day 1-discharge (delayed institution)after adjusting for age and baseline National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score strata, history of hyperlipidemia; and statin use at baseline Results: Of the 656 subjects who were recruited in the trial, ultra-early institution of statin treatment and delayed institution occurred in 51 and 387 subjects, respectively. At 3 months post randomization, the adjusted rates of independent functional outcome (odds ratio [OR] 2.3; 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.2-4.5; P = 0.015) and minimal impairment of activities of daily living (OR 2.2; 95 % CI 1.1-4.3; P = 0.022) were higher among subjects with ultra-early institution of statin treatment compared with those without any statin treatment. The adjusted rates of functional independence (OR 2.7; 95 % CI 1.4-5.2; P = 0.004) continued to higher among subjects with ultra-early institution of statin treatment at 12 months post randomization. The adjusted rates of functional independence and minimal impairment of activities of daily living were higher among subjects with ultra-early institution of statin treatment compared with those without any statin treatment in subjects randomized to endovascular treatment. Conclusions: Ultra-early institution of statin treatment in acute ischemic stroke patients treated with IV rt-PA with or without endovascular treatment was associated with improved outcome at both 3 and 12 months

scholarly journals Delayed presentation of acute ischemic strokes during the COVID-19 crisis

2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 639-642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clemens M Schirmer ◽  
Andrew J Ringer ◽  
Adam S Arthur ◽  
Mandy J Binning ◽  
W Christopher Fox ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Public Awareness ◽  
Public Life ◽  
Baseline Period ◽  
Delayed Presentation ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
The Us ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Stroke Center

BackgroundThe COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted established care paths worldwide. Patient awareness of the pandemic and executive limitations imposed on public life have changed the perception of when to seek care for acute conditions in some cases. We sought to study whether there is a delay in presentation for acute ischemic stroke patients in the first month of the pandemic in the US.MethodsThe interval between last-known-well (LKW) time and presentation of 710 consecutive patients presenting with acute ischemic strokes to 12 stroke centers across the US were extracted from a prospectively maintained quality database. We analyzed the timing and severity of the presentation in the baseline period from February to March 2019 and compared results with the timeframe of February and March 2020.ResultsThere were 320 patients in the 2-month baseline period in 2019, there was a marked decrease in patients from February to March of 2020 (227 patients in February, and 163 patients in March). There was no difference in the severity of the presentation between groups and no difference in age between the baseline and the COVID period. The mean interval from LKW to the presentation was significantly longer in the COVID period (603±1035 min) compared with the baseline period (442±435 min, P<0.02).ConclusionWe present data supporting an association between public awareness and limitations imposed on public life during the COVID-19 pandemic in the US and a delay in presentation for acute ischemic stroke patients to a stroke center.

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