title: Functional outcomes of pre-hospital thrombolysis in a mobile stroke treatment unit compared with conventional care: an observational registry study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Specialised CT-equipped mobile stroke treatment units shorten time to intravenous thrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke by starting treatment before hospital admission; however, direct effects of pre-hospital thrombolysis on clinical outcomes have not been shown. We aimed to compare 3-month functional outcomes after intravenous thrombolysis in patients with acute ischaemic who had received emergency mobile care or and conventional care.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this observational registry study, patients with ischaemic stroke received intravenous thrombolysis (alteplase) either within a stroke emergency mobile (STEMO) vehicle (pre-hospital care covering 1·3 million inhabitants of Berlin) or within conventional care (normal ambulances and in-hospital care at the Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin in Berlin). Patient data on treatment, outcome, and demographics were documented in STEMO (pre-hospital) or conventional care (in-hospital) registries. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients who had lived at home without assistance before stroke and had a 3-month modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score of 1 or lower. Our multivariable logistic regression was adjusted for demographics, comorbidities, and stroke severity. This study is registered with ClinicalTrials.gov, number NCT02358772.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Between Feb 5, 2011, and March 5, 2015, 427 patients were treated within the STEMO vehicle and their data were entered into a pre-hospital registry. 505 patients received conventional care and their data were entered into an in-hospital thrombolysis registry. Of these, 305 patients in the STEMO group and 353 in the conventional care group met inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. 161 (53%) patients in the STEMO group versus 166 (47%) in the conventional care group had an mRS score of 1 or lower (p=0·14). Compared with conventional care, adjusted odds ratios (ORs) for STEMO care for the primary outcome (OR 1·40, 95% CI 1·00-1·97; p=0·052) were not significant. Intracranial haemorrhage (p=0·27) and 7-day mortality (p=0·23) did not differ significantly between treatment groups.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found no significant difference between the proportion of patients with a mRS score of 1 or lower receiving STEMO care compared with conventional care. However, our results suggest that pre-hospital start of intravenous thrombolysis might lead to improved functional outcome in patients. This evidence requires substantiation in future large-scale trials.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Zukunftsfonds Berlin, the Technology Foundation Berlin with EU co-financing by the European Regional Development Fund via Investitionsbank Berlin, and the German Federal Ministry for Education and Research via the Center for Stroke Research Berlin.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany. Electronic address: alexander.kunz@charite.de.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kunz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ebinger
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Frederik
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Geisler
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rozanski
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Carolin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Waldschmidt
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Joachim E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Weber
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Wendt
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Benjamin
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Winter
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Katja
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Zieschang
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jochen B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Fiebach
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kersten
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Villringer
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Hebun
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Erdur
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Jan F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Scheitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Serdar
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tütüncü
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Kerstin
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Bollweg
authors.affiliation: Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Ulrike
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Grittner
authors.affiliation: Berliner Feuerwehr, Berlin Fire Brigade, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Sabina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaczmarek
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; German Center for Cardiovascular Research, Berlin Partner Site, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases, Berlin Partner Site, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Endres
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Christian H
authors.initials: CH
authors.lastname: Nolte
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany; Center for Stroke Research Berlin, Charité-University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
authors.forename: Heinrich J
authors.initials: HJ
authors.lastname: Audebert
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D002545:Brain Ischemia / Q000188:drug therapy; D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D006760:Hospitalization / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008952:Mobile Health Units / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D012042:Registries / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D020521:Stroke / Q000188:drug therapy; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D005343:Fibrinolytic Agents; D010959:Tissue Plasminogen Activator