[Avoiding time delay in acute stroke management. Data analysis of the Austrian Stroke Unit Registry]

The aim of our study was to identify factors influencing time from stroke onset to Stroke Unit (SU) admission. Retrospectively, we analysed the data of all stroke patients registered in the Austrian SU-Registry between 01/03 and 02/07. The influence of mode of transportation on time from stroke onset to admission to SU and on rate of thrombolysis was investigated. Further, we analysed changes in time delays and rate of thrombolysis over the years. A total of 15,746 patients with acute stroke were admitted to one of the 26 participating SU. Direct admission to the hospital equipped with a SU increased the relative chance of thrombolytic treatment by odds 1.8 compared to patients transferred from another hospital. Over the years, the median pre-hospital time did not change significantly, but the rate of patients admitted in a 2-h time window improved from 30 to 42%; the rate of thrombolysis increased from 4.8% (2003) to 9.5% (2007, p<0.001).