Impact of COVID-19 on stroke caseload in a major HyperAcute Stroke Unit

Northwick Park Hospital in London, United Kingdom (UK) is one of the busiest stroke units in the country and is located in one of the areas most heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in the first half of 2020. Admissions to the stroke unit and changes during the peak of COVID-19 were reviewed. Compared with the previous year, mean 96 patients were admitted with suspected stroke during April and May 2020 compared with mean 116 per month in non-COVID periods, ratio 0.82, P=0.01. This reduction involved both strokes and mimics and was unlikely to have occurred by chance.

Source: Journal of Stroke and Cerebrovascular Diseases - October 5, 2020 Category: Neurology Authors: Fionn Mag Uidhir, Raj Bathula, Aravinth Sivagnanaratnam, Mudhar Abdul-Saheb, Joseph Devine, David L. Cohen Source Type: research