Application of Mobile Stroke Unit in Prehospital Thrombolysis of Acute Stroke: Experience from China

<b><i>Background and Purpose:</i></b> Most patients cannot receive intravenous thrombolytic therapy in the early stage of stroke onset, and the application of mobile stroke unit (MSU) in prehospital intravenous thrombolytic therapy of acute stroke may change this situation. The first MSU in China was put into use in 2017. Herein, we aimed to explore the preliminary experience of MSU in prehospital thrombolysis of acute stroke. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Patients who received prehospital intravenous thrombolytic therapy using MSU were classified to the MSU thrombolysis group, and the control group consisted of stroke patients admitted by regular ambulances, who were transferred to hospital for intravenous thrombolytic therapy. The feasibility, safety, and duration of procedures were compared. <b><i>Results:</i></b> There were 14 patients received prehospital intravenous thrombolysis on the MSU, and 24 patients underwent intravenous thrombolysis in the emergency center, who were transferred by the ordinary ambulance during the same period. The median call-to-needle time was 59.5 min in the MSU thrombolysis group, while it was 89 min in the control group; the difference between the 2 groups was statistically significant (<i>p</i> = 0.001). The median time from onset to thrombolysis was 70 and 102.5 min, respectively, in the 2 groups (<i>p</i> = 0.002). The percentages of good clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale score ≤ 2) at 90-day follow-up were 79 and 67%, respectively (<i>p</i> = 0.488). The rate of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage and mortality during the perioperative period did not differ significantly between 2 groups. <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Despite the small sample size, our preliminary experience of the application of MSU in the prehospital thrombosis therapy seems to indicate a significant reduction in time from call to needle, the efficacy of MSU in the treatment of acute stroke needs further experiment and larger sample size to confirm.

Prehospital thrombolysis for STEMI where PPCI delays are unavoidable

Background: Primary percutaneous coronary intervention (PPCI) is the gold standard for treating patients experiencing ST-elevation acute myocardial infarction (STEMI). More than 30 000 patients experience cardiac arrest out of a hospital setting in the UK every year and may be some distance from a PPCI facility. Aims: To analyse and consider if a better outcome could be achieved for patients if PPCI was an adjunct to thrombolytic therapy, where delays of ≥60 minutes are inevitable or unavoidable. Methods: The current review examined a range of articles, research materials and databases. Results: Some studies suggested the use of prehospital thrombolysis while others compared the effectiveness of drug-eluting stents. While the ‘gold standard’ for the treatment of patients experiencing a myocardial infarction is still PPCI, several factors can delay patients from receiving this treatment at an appropriate facility within the recommended time frame. Conclusion: Patients may not be able to access PPCI within 60, 90 or 120 minutes for reasons including increasing urbanisation, population growth and NHS hospital funding cuts. If the PPCI unit is some distance away, ambulance crews could start thrombolysis treatment and transmit clinical findings to a specialist cardiologist in the PPCI facility, or stop at a local hospital that could provide thrombolysis.

011 Melbourne mobile stroke unit halves workflow for acute stroke reperfusion therapy

BackgroundThe Melbourne Mobile Stroke Unit (MSU) utilises a specialised ambulance with on-board CT scanner and multidisciplinary team to provide on-scene imaging, treatment and triage for central Melbourne, Australia. We describe the operational impact of the MSU on commencement of acute reperfusion therapy.MethodsData from the first 12 months of operation were collected for all patients receiving reperfusion therapy from November 2017. Workflow times were compared to contemporary published Australian data and historical controls from Royal Melbourne Hospital.ResultsIn the first calendar 12 months of operation, the Melbourne MSU operated 30.5 service weeks and provided prehospital thrombolysis (tPA) to n=52 patients (44% of eligible infarcts) and directed n=33 patients for endovascular thrombectomy, of which 48% required bypass from the closest non-thrombectomy hospital. The overall median onset-to-tPA for MSU patients was 97.5 mins compared to the Australian metropolitan median of 150 mins. Thrombolysis in the first ‘golden hour’ increased to 13.5% from 3.3% in-hospital. Median onset-to-groin for MSU patients receiving EVT was 162 mins compared to 234 mins from historical controls.DiscussionPrehospital treatment and triage using the Mobile Stroke Unit in metropolitan Melbourne resulted in substantial improvements in commencement of reperfusion therapy. Workflow times are approximately halved for thrombolysis and endovascular thrombectomy respectively. Prehospital thrombolysis also allowed a >400% increase in the proportion of treatment in the first ‘golden hour’.

A szívinfarktus miatt kezelt betegek ellátása Magyarországon. A Nemzeti Szívinfarktus Regiszter 2015. évi adatainak elemzése

The authors summarize the most relevant data of myocardial infarction patients according to the National Myocardial Infarction Registry data base. In 2015 12,681 patients had 12,941 acute myocardial infarctions. Less than half of patients (44.4%) were treated with ST elevation myocardial infarction. National Ambulance Service was the first medical contact of more than half (51.4%) of patients with ST elevation infarction. Prehospital thrombolysis was occasionally done (0.23%), but 91.6% of the patients were treated in hospital with invasive facilities. The median of the ischaemic time (time between onset of symptoms and arrival at the invasive laboratory) was 223 minutes. Most of the patients (94%) with positive coronary arteriography were treated with percutaneous coronary intervention. The 30 day mortality of the whole group was 12.8% vs. 8.6% of patients treated with an invasive procedure. Conclusion: comparing the national and international registry data we conclude that we should analyse and decrease the prehospital delay time to improve the patient care in Hungary. Orv. Hetil., 2017, 158(3), 90–93.