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Updated: Feb 28, 2026
Optimized Management of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke
Published on: January 18, 2018
Access to hyperacute stroke services across Canadian provinces: a geospatial analysis
Prasanna Venkatesan Eswaradass1, Richard H Swartz1, Jamey Rosen1
1Affiliations: Calgary Stroke Program (Eswaradass, Hill), Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Cumming School of Medicine; Departments of Radiology (Hill), Community Health Sciences (Hill) and Medicine (Hill), Cumming School of Medicine, University of Calgary; Hotchkiss Brain Institute (Hill), Calgary, Alta.; Heart and Stroke Foundation (Lindsay), Ottawa, Ont.; Neurology Division (Swartz), Department of Medicine, Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Geosyntec Consultants (Rosen), Guelph, Ont.
Most Canadians have timely road access to stroke centers, crucial for hyperacute stroke care. Geospatial analysis helps identify service gaps and plan new stroke treatment sites.
Area of Science:
- Geospatial analysis
- Public health
- Emergency medical services
Background:
- Canada's large landmass poses challenges for rapid stroke patient transport.
- Assessing accessibility to hyperacute stroke services is vital for timely interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the proportion of Canadians with access to stroke centers within evidence-based timeframes.
- To evaluate population reach for hyperacute stroke services across Canadian provinces.
Main Methods:
- Utilized drive-time polygons based on stroke centers and EMS bases.
- Calculated population access by integrating drive-time data with census information.
- Mapped accessibility within 3.5-6 hour drive times for stroke care.
Main Results:
- 47.1%-96.4% of Canadians are within a 4.5-hour drive to a stroke center.
- 53.3%-96.8% of the population has access within a 6-hour drive.
- 84.7%-99.8% have access to endovascular thrombectomy sites within a 5-hour total travel time.
Conclusions:
- The majority of Canadians have reasonable road access to stroke centers.
- Geospatial mapping is essential for optimizing stroke service delivery and identifying underserved areas.
- Continuous improvement in care coordination and bypass agreements is necessary for maximizing access to time-sensitive stroke treatments.
