title: Exclusion criteria for intravenous thrombolysis in stroke mimics: an observational study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Stroke mimics (SMs) are frequent in emergency departments (EDs), but are treated infrequently with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) thrombolysis. We aimed at identifying the factors that lead to the exclusion of SMs from thrombolytic therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients presenting to the ED between December 2004 and March 2011 with symptoms that suggested acute ischemic stroke were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eight hundred forty-two patients were included in this study; 113 (13.4%) were considered SMs; these patients were younger (P = .01), more frequently diabetic (P = .001), arrived later to the ED (P = .03), had lower National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale scores (P < .001), and higher frequencies of negative diffusion-weighted imaging studies (P = .002). The most common causes of cases of SM were toxic metabolic disorders (n = 34 [30.1%]) and seizures (n = 22 [19.5%]). The most frequent cause of consultation was aphasia (n = 43 [37.6%]). SM patients had a total of 152 contraindications for rt-PA, with 34 (30%) patients having >1 contraindication. The most frequent of these were being beyond the therapeutic window for thrombolysis (n = 96) and having deficits not measurable by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale or very mild symptoms before the start of rt-PA (n = 37). Twenty-four (21.2%) patients had both contraindications simultaneously. Two patients (1.76%) in the SM group were candidates for rt-PA but did not receive this treatment because they or their family rejected it. Of 729 stroke patients, 87 (11.9%) did receive rt-PA.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  SM patients frequently had exclusion criteria for systemic thrombolysis, the most frequent being presenting beyond the established thrombolytic window.
authors.affiliation: Cerebrovascular Program, Neurology Service, Department of Internal Medicine, Clínica Alemana de Santiago, Universidad del Desarrollo, Santiago, Chile. Electronic address: abrunser@alemana.cl.
authors.forename: Alejandro M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Brunser
authors.forename: Sergio
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Illanes
authors.forename: Pablo M
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Lavados
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Muñoz
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cárcamo
authors.forename: Arnold
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hoppe
authors.forename: Verónica V
authors.initials: VV
authors.lastname: Olavarria
authors.forename: Iris
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Delgado
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Díaz
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000075202:Contraindications; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005260:Female; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D020521:Stroke / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D015912:Thrombolytic Therapy; D013997:Time Factors; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator