Factors influencing emergency delays in acute stroke management.
OBJECTIVE
Early admission to hospital with minimum delay is a prerequisite for successful management of acute stroke. We sought to determine our local pre- and in-hospital factors influencing this delay.


METHODS
Time from onset of symptoms to admission (admission time) was prospectively documented during a 6-month period (December 2004 to May 2005) in patients consecutively admitted for an acute focal neurological deficit presented at arrival and of presumed vascular origin. Mode of transportation, patient's knowledge and correct recognition of stroke symptoms were assessed. Physicians contacted by the patients or their relatives were interviewed. The influence of referral patterns on in-hospital delays was further evaluated.


RESULTS
Overall, 331 patients were included, 249 had an ischaemic and 37 a haemorrhagic stroke. Forty-five patients had a TIA with neurological symptoms subsiding within the first hours after admission. Median admission time was 3 hours 20 minutes. Transportation by ambulance significantly shortened admission delays in comparison with the patient's own means (HR 2.4, 95% CI 1.6-3.7). The only other factor associated with reduced delays was awareness of stroke (HR 1.9, 95% CI 1.3-2.9). Early in-hospital delays, specifically time to request CT-scan and time to call the neurologist, were shorter when the patient was referred by his family or to a lesser extent by an emergency physician than by the family physician (p < 0.04 and p < 0.01, respectively) and were shorter when he was transported by ambulance than by his own means (p < 0.01).


CONCLUSIONS
Transportation by ambulance and referral by the patient or family significantly improved admission delays and early in-hospital management. Correct recognition of stroke symptoms further contributed to significant shortening of admission time. Educational programmes should take these findings into account.
Sekoranja
Lucka
L
Department of Internal Medicine, Medical School, University Hospitals of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.
Griesser
Anne Claude
AC
Wagner
Ghislaine
G
Njamnshi
Alfred K
AK
Temperli
Philippe
P
Herrmann
François R
FR
Grandjean
Raphael
R
Niquille
Marc
M
Vermeulen
Bernard
B
Rutschmann
Olivier T
OT
Sarasin
François
F
Sztajzel
Roman
R
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D004630:Emergencies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D010343:Patient Admission; D010820:Physicians; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D020521:Stroke / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013997:Time Factors; D014187:Transportation of Patients