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Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 18, 2018
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Acute stroke: why do some patients arrive in time and others do not?
Maarja Soomann1, Riina Vibo, Janika Kõrv
1Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
Summary
Calling emergency medical services directly leads to faster hospital arrival for stroke patients, increasing their chances for life-saving thrombolysis treatment. Delays often stem from hoping for spontaneous recovery or underestimating symptom severity.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Acute stroke requires rapid medical intervention for optimal outcomes.
- Timely hospital arrival is crucial for administering effective treatments like thrombolysis.
- Understanding help-seeking behaviors and delays is vital for improving stroke care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors associated with early hospital arrival in acute stroke patients.
- To investigate the causes of help-seeking delays in stroke cases.
- To determine the impact of initial contact method on treatment timeliness.
Main Methods:
- Face-to-face interviews with 195 consecutive eligible acute stroke patients within 72 hours of admission.
- Univariate and multivariate analyses to assess factors related to early arrival.
- Evaluation of patient-reported reasons for seeking medical help.
Main Results:
- Patients calling emergency medical services directly arrived significantly earlier than those contacting family physicians first (OR 15.9).
- Contacting emergency medical services within 30 minutes of symptom onset increased the likelihood of receiving thrombolysis (OR 6.9).
- Common delays included hope for spontaneous recovery and underestimation of symptom significance.
Conclusions:
- Directly calling emergency medical services is associated with faster stroke treatment.
- Delays in seeking care, often due to underestimation of symptoms, reduce thrombolysis opportunities.
- Public education on stroke symptom recognition and immediate emergency service activation is critical.
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