Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 31, 2026
Dual-Task Stroop Paradigm for Detecting Cognitive Deficits in High-Functioning Stroke Patients
Published on: December 16, 2022
Diagnostic Accuracy of Cincinnati Pre-Hospital Stroke Scale
Behzad Zohrevandi1, Vahid Monsef Kasmaie1, Payman Asadi1
1Guilan Road Trauma Research Center, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Insights
The Cincinnati pre-hospital stroke scale shows promise as a screening tool for acute neurologic syndromes. This study assessed its accuracy in predicting stroke probability, aiding early detection and patient transfer.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Emergency Medicine
- Public Health
Background:
- Stroke is a leading cause of mortality globally, necessitating effective early detection methods.
- Pre-hospital stroke scales aid in identifying at-risk patients for timely transfer to stroke centers.
- The Cincinnati pre-hospital stroke scale is a widely used tool for rapid stroke assessment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of the Cincinnati pre-hospital stroke scale.
- To determine the scale's effectiveness in predicting stroke probability in patients with neurologic symptoms.
- To assess the scale's utility as a screening tool in emergency settings.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cross-sectional study design.
- Inclusion of 448 patients with neurologic symptoms presenting to an emergency department.
- Assessment of Cincinnati scale criteria (facial droop, dysarthria, upper extremity weakness) against final diagnosis.
Main Results:
- The Cincinnati scale demonstrated a sensitivity of 93.19% and a specificity of 51.85%.
- Positive predictive value was 89.76%, and negative predictive value was 62.69%.
- The agreement rate between the scale and final diagnosis was statistically significant (p<0.0001).
Conclusions:
- The pre-hospital Cincinnati scale appears to be a suitable screening tool for stroke prediction.
- Its high sensitivity supports its role in identifying potential stroke patients.
- Further validation may enhance its application in acute neurologic syndromes.
Introduction:
Stroke is recognized as the third cause of mortality after cardiovascular and cancer diseases, so that lead to death of about 5 million people, annually. There are several scales to early prediction of at risk patients and decreasing the rate of mortality by transferring them to the stroke center. In the present study, the accuracy of Cincinnati pre-hospital stroke scale was assessed.
Methods:
This was a retrospective cross-sectional study done to assess accuracy of Cincinnati scale in prediction of stroke probability in patients referred to the emergency department of Poursina Hospital, Rasht, Iran, 2013 with neurologic symptoms. Three criteria of Cincinnati scale including facial droop, dysarthria, and upper extremity weakness as well as the final diagnosis of patients were gathered. Sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios of Cincinnati scale were calculated using SPSS version 20.
Results:
448 patients were assessed. The agreement rate of Cincinnati scale and final diagnosis was 0.483 ± 0.055 (p<0.0001). The sensitivity of 93.19% (95% Cl: 90.11-95.54), specificity of 51.85% (95% Cl: 40.47-63.10), positive predictive value of 89.76% (95% Cl: 86.27-92.62), negative predictive value of 62.69% (95% Cl: 55.52-72.45), positive likelihood ratio of 1.94% (95% Cl: 1.54-2.43), and negative likelihood ratio of 0.13% (95% Cl: 0.09-0.20) were calculated.
Conclusion:
It seems that pre-hospital Cincinnati scale can be an appropriate screening tool in prediction of stroke in patients with acute neurologic syndromes.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Acute Coronary Syndrome III: Diagnostic Studies
01:25Imaging Studies for Cardiovascular System VI: Calcium -Scoring CT