scholarly journals Nationwide trends of clinical characteristics and economic burden of emergency department visits due to acute ischemic stroke

2017 ◽  
Vol Volume 9 ◽  
pp. 89-96 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Stuntz ◽  
Katsiaryna Busko ◽  
Shumaila Irshad ◽  
Taylor Paige ◽  
Veranika Razhkova ◽  
...  
Author(s):  
Alexander E. Merkler ◽  
Neal S. Parikh ◽  
Saad Mir ◽  
Ajay Gupta ◽  
Hooman Kamel ◽  
...  

Importance: Case series without control groups suggest that Covid-19 may cause ischemic stroke, but whether Covid-19 is associated with a higher risk of ischemic stroke than would be expected from a viral respiratory infection is uncertain. Objective: To compare the rate of ischemic stroke between patients with Covid-19 and patients with influenza, a respiratory viral illness previously linked to stroke. Design: A retrospective cohort study. Setting: Two academic hospitals in New York City. Participants: We included adult patients with emergency department visits or hospitalizations with Covid-19 from March 4, 2020 through May 2, 2020. Our comparison cohort included adult patients with emergency department visits or hospitalizations with influenza A or B from January 1, 2016 through May 31, 2018 (calendar years spanning moderate and severe influenza seasons). Exposures: Covid-19 infection confirmed by evidence of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) in the nasopharynx by polymerase chain reaction, and laboratory-confirmed influenza A or B. Main Outcomes and Measures: A panel of neurologists adjudicated the primary outcome of acute ischemic stroke and its clinical characteristics, etiological mechanisms, and outcomes. We used logistic regression to compare the proportion of Covid-19 patients with ischemic stroke versus the proportion among patients with influenza. Results: Among 2,132 patients with emergency department visits or hospitalizations with Covid-19, 31 patients (1.5%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.0%-2.1%) had an acute ischemic stroke. The median age of patients with stroke was 69 years (interquartile range, 66-78) and 58% were men. Stroke was the reason for hospital presentation in 8 (26%) cases. For our comparison cohort, we identified 1,516 patients with influenza, of whom 0.2% (95% CI, 0.0-0.6%) had an acute ischemic stroke. After adjustment for age, sex, and race, the likelihood of stroke was significantly higher with Covid-19 than with influenza infection (odds ratio, 7.5; 95% CI, 2.3-24.9). Conclusions and Relevance: Approximately 1.5% of patients with emergency department visits or hospitalizations with Covid-19 experienced ischemic stroke, a rate 7.5-fold higher than in patients with influenza. Future studies should investigate the thrombotic mechanisms in Covid-19 in order to determine optimal strategies to prevent disabling complications like ischemic stroke.


Author(s):  
Pauli E. T. Vuorinen ◽  
Jyrki P. J. Ollikainen ◽  
Pasi A. Ketola ◽  
Riikka-Liisa K. Vuorinen ◽  
Piritta A. Setälä ◽  
...  

Abstract Background In acute ischemic stroke, conjugated eye deviation (CED) is an evident sign of cortical ischemia and large vessel occlusion (LVO). We aimed to determine if an emergency dispatcher can recognise LVO stroke during an emergency call by asking the caller a binary question regarding whether the patient’s head or gaze is away from the side of the hemiparesis or not. Further, we investigated if the paramedics can confirm this sign at the scene. In the group of positive CED answers to the emergency dispatcher, we investigated what diagnoses these patients received at the emergency department (ED). Among all patients brought to ED and subsequently treated with mechanical thrombectomy (MT) we tracked the proportion of patients with a positive CED answer during the emergency call. Methods We collected data on all stroke dispatches in the city of Tampere, Finland, from 13 February 2019 to 31 October 2020. We then reviewed all patient records from cases where the dispatcher had marked ‘yes’ to the question regarding patient CED in the computer-aided emergency response system. We also viewed all emergency department admissions to see how many patients in total were treated with MT during the period studied. Results Out of 1913 dispatches, we found 81 cases (4%) in which the caller had verified CED during the emergency call. Twenty-four of these patients were diagnosed with acute ischemic stroke. Paramedics confirmed CED in only 9 (11%) of these 81 patients. Two patients with positive CED answers during the emergency call and 19 other patients brought to the emergency department were treated with MT. Conclusion A small minority of stroke dispatches include a positive answer to the CED question but paramedics rarely confirm the emergency medical dispatcher’s suspicion of CED as a sign of LVO. Few patients in need of MT can be found this way. Stroke dispatch protocol with a CED question needs intensive implementation.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicolle W Davis ◽  
Meghan Bailey ◽  
Natalie Buchwald ◽  
Amreen Farooqui ◽  
Anna Khanna

Background/Objective: There is growing importance on discovering factors that delay time to intervention for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients, as rapid intervention remains essential for better patient outcomes. The management of these patients involves a multidisciplinary effort and quality improvement initiatives to safely increase treatment with intravenous thrombolytic (IV tPa). The objective of this pilot is to evaluate factors of acute stroke care in the emergency department (ED) and the impact they have on IV tPa administration. Methods: A sample of 89 acute ischemic stroke patients that received IV tPa from a single academic medical institution was selected for retrospective analysis. System characteristics (presence of a stroke nurse and time of day) and patient characteristics (mode of arrival and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score (NIHSS) on arrival) were analyzed using descriptive statistics and multiple regression to address the study question. Results: The mean door to needle time is 53.74 minutes ( + 38.06) with 74.2% of patients arriving to the ED via emergency medical services (EMS) and 25.8% having a stroke nurse present during IV tPa administration. Mode of arrival ( p = .001) and having a stroke nurse present ( p = .022) are significant predictors of door to needle time in the emergency department (ED). Conclusion: While many factors can influence door to needle times in the ED, we did not find NIHSS on arrival or time of day to be significant factors. Patients arriving to the ED by personal vehicle will have a significant delay in IV tPa administration, therefore emphasizing the importance of using EMS. Perhaps more importantly, collaborative efforts including the addition of a specialized stroke nurse significantly decreased time to IV tPa administration for AIS patients. With this dedicated role, accelerated triage and more effective management of AIS patients is accomplished, leading to decreased intervention times and potentially improving patient outcomes.


Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (2) ◽  
pp. 557-559 ◽  
Author(s):  
Erin McDonough Grise ◽  
Opeolu Adeoye ◽  
Christopher Lindsell ◽  
Kathleen Alwell ◽  
Charles Moomaw ◽  
...  

2016 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rafiq A Basharat ◽  
Kamran Rashid Mirza ◽  
Muhammad Yousuf Qamar

Objectives: To find out the time interval from onset of the symptoms to admission in the hospital of patients suffering from acute ischemic stroke, in order to assess the feasibility of thrombolytic therapy in Lahore General Hospital. Design: Hospital-based, prospective and observational study Setting: Lahore General Hospital Lahore. Duration: Six months from January - June 2004. Patients: Seventy two patients with acute ischemic stroke diagnosed on basis of clinical findings and CT scan. Methods: Patients o f a cute ischemic stroke including cerebral infarct, T IA, venous infarct and lacunar infarct were diagnosed on basis of clinical history, examination and CT scan and enrolled in the study. Data was collected on a Performa. Time taken by patients to reach hospital after onset of symptoms, distance of patients` residences from hospital, education level of patients and time required to do a CT scan after arrival of patient in hospital were studied. Results: 54.2% were male and mean age of patients was 60 years. 58 patients had cerebral infarction, TIA`s and venous infarction were 8 and 6 respectively. Delay in presentation was divided in three groups. Within three hours (hrs) 15 (21%) patients arrived. 54 and 18 patients arrived in 3-- 24 hrs group and >24 firs group. Mean distance was roughly 44 km. Mean distance for 0-3hrs, 3-24hrs and >24hrs group was 14, 35, and 85 Km respectively. Average time required to do CT scan was nine hours after arrival of patient in emergency department. Sixty-five percent of patients coming were illiterate. Conclusion: Majority of the patients with ischemic stroke present late to. emergency department. Many factors including distance from hospital, illiteracy, non-availability of ambulance services responsible for it. Evaluation-of patients and provision of urgent CT scan is required. in hospitals.


2011 ◽  
Vol 13 (2) ◽  
pp. 74
Author(s):  
Kyung-Mo Ku ◽  
Ki-Bong Song ◽  
Mi-Sun Oh ◽  
Kyung-Ho Yu ◽  
Ju-Hun Lee ◽  
...  

Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gregg C Fonarow ◽  
Eric E Smith ◽  
Xin Zhao ◽  
Eric D Peterson ◽  
Ying Xian ◽  
...  

Background: The benefits of intravenous tissue-plasminogen activator (tPA) in acute ischemic stroke are time-dependent and several strategies have been reported to be associated with more rapid door-to-needle (DTN) times. However, the extent to which hospitals are utilizing these strategies has not been well studied. Methods: We surveyed 304 hospitals joining Target: Stroke regarding their baseline use of strategies to reduce door-to-needle times in the 1/2008-2/2010 timeframe (prior to the initiation of Target: Stroke). The survey was developed based on literature review and expert consensus for strategies identified as being associated with shorter DTN times and further refined after pilot testing. Categorical responses are reported as frequencies. Results: Hospitals participating in the survey were 50% academic, median 163 (IQR 106-247) ischemic stroke admissions per year, median 10 (IQR 6-17) tPA treated patients per year, and had median 79 minute (IQR 71-89) DTN times. By survey, 214 of 304 hospitals (70%) reported initiating or revising strategies to reduce DTN times in the prior 2 years. Reported use of the different strategies varied in frequency, with use of ischemic stroke critical pathways, CT scanner located in the Emergency Department, and tPA being stored in the Emergency Department being the strategies least frequently employed (Table). As part of Target: Stroke participation, 279 of 304 hospitals (91.5%) indicated they planned to have a dedicated team focused on reducing DTN times. Conclusions: While most US hospitals participating in this survey report use of the strategies to improve the timeliness of tPA administration for acute ischemic stroke, significant variation exists. Further research is needed to understand which of these strategies are most effective in improving acute ischemic stroke care.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Tenbit Emiru ◽  
Malik M Adil ◽  
Adnan I Qureshi

BACKGROUND: Despite the recent emphasis on protocols for emergent triage and treatment of in-hospital acute ischemic stroke, there is little data on rates and outcomes of patients receiving thrombolytics for in-hospital ischemic strokes. OBJECTIVE: To determine the rates of in-hospital ischemic stroke treated with thrombolytics and to compare outcomes with patients treated with thrombolytics on admission. DESIGN/METHODS: We analyzed a seven-year data (2002-2009) from the National Inpatient Survey (NIS), a nationally representative inpatient database in the United States. We identified patients who had in-hospital ischemic strokes (defined by thrombolytic treatment after one day of hospitalization) and those who received thrombolytics on the admission day. We compared demographics, baseline clinical characteristics, in hospital complications, length of stay, hospitalization charges, and discharge disposition, between the two patient groups. RESULT: A total of 18036 (21.5%) and 65912 (78.5%) patients received thrombolytics for in-hospital and on admission acute ischemic stroke, respectively. In hospital complications such as pneumonia (5.0% vs. 3.4%, p=0.0006), deep venous thrombosis (1.9% vs. 0.6%, p<0.0001) and pulmonary embolism (0.8% vs. 0.4%, p=0.01) were significantly higher in the in-hospital group compared to on admission thrombolytic treated group. Hospital length of stay and mean hospital charges were not different between the two groups. Patients who had in-hospital strokes had had higher rates of in hospital mortality (12.1% vs. 10.6%, p=0.02). In a multivariate analysis, in-hospital thrombolytic treated group had higher in-hospital mortality after adjustment for age, gender and baseline clinical characteristics (odds ratio 0.84, 95% confidence interval 0.74-0.95, p=0.008). CONCLUSION/RELEVANCE: In current practice, one out of every five acute ischemic stroke patients treated with thrombolytics is receiving treatment for in-hospital strokes. The higher mortality and complicated hospitalization in such patients needs to be recognized.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy Castle ◽  
Lana Stein ◽  
Sandra Hanson ◽  
Charles Ormiston ◽  
Karen Porth

BACKGROUND: Reperfusion therapy is the most important recent advance in early treatment for acute ischemic stroke, but remains underused and the timing of administration of treatment continues to be unacceptably delayed. The complexity of the decision tree and risk of treatment may be limiting use in the emergency department (ED) when those directing the therapy have limited knowledge and less comfort with administration of the drug. This review supports the hypothesis that utilizing telestroke to increase the Stroke Neurology expertise early in the stroke code in an organized stroke code process in a metropolitan hospital ED will improve the rate of use of reperfusion therapy and decrease the door-to-drug (DTD) times. METHODS and RESULTS: Telestroke was used to allow for Stroke Neurology presence and leadership in a redesigned stroke code process at 2 busy metropolitan hospitals beginning in 2009 at St. Joseph’s Hospital and 2010 at St. John’s Hospital. CONCLUSION: Telemedicine run stroke codes in a busy metropolitan ED resulted in increased use of reperfusion therapy and dramatic decreases in DTD times.


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