Evolution of a US County System for Acute Comprehensive Stroke Care [Clinical Sciences]

We examined relationships between stroke details, reperfusion therapies, hospital transfers, and their change over time.Methods—All patients from January 1, 2013, to December 31, 2015, for whom 911 was called within 7 hours of onset in whom Emergency Medical Services personnel suspected acute stroke were evaluated.Results—Among 6132 patients, 3924 (64%) had confirmed diagnosis of stroke (74% ischemic/26% hemorrhagic), yielding diagnostic precision of 64% in the field. Of the 2892 patients with acute ischemic stroke, acute reperfusion therapy was given to 29.2% (21.7% intravenous tPA [tissue-type plasminogen activator] only and 7.5% endovascular treatment). Rates of endovascular treatment of patients with ischemic stroke increased over time, more than doubling from 5.6% in 2013 to 12.5% (odds ratio per 3-month quarter=1.09; 95% confidence interval, 1.04–1.14; P
Source: Stroke - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Cerebrovascular Disease/Stroke, Cerebrovascular Procedures, Ischemic Stroke Original Contributions Source Type: research