Referral and care for acute ischemic stroke in a Japanese tertiary emergency hospital.
To examine the current emergency referral and care for acute stroke at a Japanese tertiary emergency hospital with a 24-h stroke team and care unit, we surveyed the presentations of patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA) seen within 7 days of onset. Delay from symptom onset to arrival at our hospital, from arrival to initial diagnostic brain computed tomography (CT), and the type of anti-thrombotic treatments were evaluated. During the 18-month period, there were 254 ischemic events in 244 patients; 239 (94%) had an ischemic stroke and 15 (6%) TIA. Eighty-two (32%) events presented within 3 h of onset, and 102 (40%) and 179 (70%) within the first 6 and 24 h, respectively. The median delay from hospital arrival to CT was 32 min, ranging 10 min to 22 h. Two hundred (79%) events underwent CT within 1 h of arrival (n=172) or at the referral hospitals before transfer (n=28). Direct ambulance transportation and more severe neurological deficits were independent predictors both for early arrival and short in-hospital delay to CT. Anti-thrombotic therapies including anticoagulant and/or antiplatelet medications were given in 237 (93%) episodes. Two (1%) patients received thrombolysis, although 18 (7%) patients fulfilled the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke guidelines for intravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator. As in western communities, our pre-hospital emergency referral systems for acute stroke require substantial improvements including the wider use of ambulance calling. Although our in-hospital stroke management is functioning relatively well, further efforts are necessary in reducing the diagnostic delay.
Yoneda
Y
Y
Neurology Service, Hyogo Brain and Heart Center at Himeji, 520 Saisho-ko, Himeji, 670-0981, Japan. yyoneda@hbhc.hiabcd.go.jp
Mori
E
E
Uehara
T
T
Yamada
O
O
Tabuchi
M
M
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D004632:Emergency Medical Services; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D011379:Prognosis; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012044:Regression Analysis; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy*
D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents