Effects of Pre-hospital First Aid and Emergency Green Channel on Clinical Treatment of Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke

2021 ◽  
10.2196/25488 ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. e25488
Author(s):  
Yiqun Wu ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Haiqing Song ◽  
Wuwei Feng ◽  
Jinping Sun ◽  
...  

Background To improve the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), timely thrombolytic therapy is crucial. Series strategies were recommended to reduce door-to-needle (DTN) time for AIS. Mobile technologies are feasible and have been used in stroke management for various purposes. However, the use of smartphone platforms that integrate series strategies through the entire first aid process to improve emergency management of AIS remains to be verified. Objective This study aims to describe the utility and application of a smartphone platform in the emergency management of AIS and report the DTN time for patients with AIS during its 2-year application period. Our results are relevant to digital health management. Methods A smartphone platform named “Green” was developed to incorporate the field assessment, hospital recommendation, prehospital notification, real-time communication, clinical records creation, key time-stamping, and quality control to streamline and standardize overall AIS emergency management processes. The emergency medical system (EMS) and all the emergency departments in Beijing have used this platform since 2018. From January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, 8457 patients diagnosed with AIS received intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator therapy. The median DTN time and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were reported. Results During the 2-year application period of this platform, the median DTN time was 45 minutes, and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were 74.6% and 50.5%, respectively. The median DTN time was significantly reduced from 50 minutes in 2018 to 42 minutes in 2019 (P<.001). The proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes increased from 66.1% and 40.7%, respectively, in 2018 to 80.7% and 57.3%, respectively, in 2019 (both P<.001). Sustained improvement in DTN time was seen during all the observed months. The improvement occurred across all facilities, and the variations among hospitals also decreased. The median DTN time for patients transferred by ambulances (43 minutes) was significantly shorter than those who reached hospitals by themselves (47 minutes; P<.001). Conclusions Sustained reductions in DTN time reflected the improvement in AIS emergency management processes. The use of a smartphone platform integrating recommended strategies throughout all first aid stages is a practical way to help the emergency management of AIS.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yiqun Wu ◽  
Fei Chen ◽  
Haiqing Song ◽  
Wuwei Feng ◽  
Jinping Sun ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND To improve the outcomes of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), timely thrombolytic therapy is crucial. Series strategies were recommended to reduce door-to-needle (DTN) time for AIS. Mobile technologies are feasible and have been used in stroke management for various purposes. However, the use of smartphone platforms that integrate series strategies through the entire first aid process to improve emergency management of AIS remains to be verified. OBJECTIVE This study aims to describe the utility and application of a smartphone platform in the emergency management of AIS and report the DTN time for patients with AIS during its 2-year application period. Our results are relevant to digital health management. METHODS A smartphone platform named “Green” was developed to incorporate the field assessment, hospital recommendation, prehospital notification, real-time communication, clinical records creation, key time-stamping, and quality control to streamline and standardize overall AIS emergency management processes. The emergency medical system (EMS) and all the emergency departments in Beijing have used this platform since 2018. From January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019, 8457 patients diagnosed with AIS received intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator therapy. The median DTN time and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were reported. RESULTS During the 2-year application period of this platform, the median DTN time was 45 minutes, and the proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes were 74.6% and 50.5%, respectively. The median DTN time was significantly reduced from 50 minutes in 2018 to 42 minutes in 2019 (<i>P</i>&lt;.001). The proportions of patients with DTN times of ≤60 minutes and ≤45 minutes increased from 66.1% and 40.7%, respectively, in 2018 to 80.7% and 57.3%, respectively, in 2019 (both <i>P</i>&lt;.001). Sustained improvement in DTN time was seen during all the observed months. The improvement occurred across all facilities, and the variations among hospitals also decreased. The median DTN time for patients transferred by ambulances (43 minutes) was significantly shorter than those who reached hospitals by themselves (47 minutes; <i>P</i>&lt;.001). CONCLUSIONS Sustained reductions in DTN time reflected the improvement in AIS emergency management processes. The use of a smartphone platform integrating recommended strategies throughout all first aid stages is a practical way to help the emergency management of AIS.


VASA ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 43 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-61 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Tziomalos ◽  
Vasilios Giampatzis ◽  
Stella Bouziana ◽  
Athinodoros Pavlidis ◽  
Marianna Spanou ◽  
...  

Background: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) is frequently present in patients with acute ischemic stroke. However, there are limited data regarding the association between ankle brachial index (ABI) ≤ 0.90 (which is diagnostic of PAD) or > 1.40 (suggesting calcified arteries) and the severity of stroke and in-hospital outcome in this population. We aimed to evaluate these associations in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Patients and methods: We prospectively studied 342 consecutive patients admitted for acute ischemic stroke (37.4 % males, mean age 78.8 ± 6.4 years). The severity of stroke was assessed with the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS)and the modified Rankin scale (mRS) at admission. The outcome was assessed with the mRS and dependency (mRS 2 - 5) at discharge and in-hospital mortality. Results: An ABI ≤ 0.90 was present in 24.6 % of the patients whereas 68.1 % had ABI 0.91 - 1.40 and 7.3 % had ABI > 1.40. At admission, the NIHSS score did not differ between the 3 groups (10.4 ± 10.6, 8.3 ± 9.3 and 9.3 ± 9.4, respectively). The mRS score was also comparable in the 3 groups (3.6 ± 1.7, 3.1 ± 1.8 and 3.5 ± 2.3, respectively). At discharge, the mRS score did not differ between the 3 groups (2.9 ± 2.2, 2.3 ± 2.1 and 2.7 ± 2.5, respectively) and dependency rates were also comparable (59.5, 47.6 and 53.3 %, respectively). In-hospital mortality was almost two-times higher in patients with ABI ≤ 0.90 than in patients with ABI 0.91 - 1.40 or > 1.40 but this difference was not significant (10.9, 6.6 and 6.3 %, respectively). Conclusions: An ABI ≤ 0.90 or > 1.40 does not appear to be associated with more severe stroke or worse in-hospital outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke.


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