Collaborative Interventions Reduce Time-to-Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke in a Public Safety Net Hospital

Construction and application of a time-saving mode in China for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke

Objective

To explore the construction and application in the practice of green channel in No. 971 Naval Hospital of PLA (No. 971 Hospital mode) for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

Methods

This retrospective study involved a cohort of 694 suspected stroke patients from December 2022 to November 2023 undergoing emergency treatment for stroke at our institution. Among them, 483 patients were treated with standard green channel (the control group), and 211 patients adopted the No. 971 Hospital mode for treatment (the study group). The biggest difference between the two groups was that the treatment process started before admission. We compared the effectiveness of the emergency treatment between the two groups and the thrombolysis treatment.

Results

Compared with control group, the accuracy rate of determining stroke and the rate of thrombolysis were significantly higher (p = 0.002, 0.039) and the door to doctor arrival time (DAT) and the door to CT scan time (DCT) of the study group was significantly shorter (all p < 0.001). There were 49 patients (10.1%) and 33 patients (15.6%) from the control group and study group receiving thrombolysis, respectively. The DAT, DCT, imaging to needle time (INT), and door to needle time (DNT) of patients receiving thrombolysis in the study group were significantly shorter than that in the control group (all p < 0.01). The NIHSS in the study group after the thrombolysis was lower than that in the control group (p = 0.042).

Conclusion

No. 971 Hospital model can effectively shorten DAT, DCT, INT, and DNT, and improve the effectiveness of thrombolysis and prognoses of AIS patients.

Stroke pathway performance assessment: a retrospective observational study

BACKGROUND AND AIM

Performance assessment of the Stroke Pathway is a key element in healthcare quality. The aim of this study has been to carry out a retrospective assessment of the Stroke Pathway in a first level Stroke Unit in Italy, analyzing the temporal trend of the Stroke Pathway performance and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

A retrospective observational study was carried out analyzing data from 1/01/2010 to 31/12/2020. The following parameters were considered: volume and characteristics of patients with ischemic stroke undergoing intravenous thrombolysis, baseline modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) scores, Onset-to-Door (OTD), Door-To-Imaging (DTI) and Door-To-Needle (DTN) Times, mRS score 3 months after the ischemic event onset (3 m-mRS) and NIHSS score 24 h after the ischemic event onset (24 h-NIHSS). The study also compared the pre-COVID-19 pandemic period (March-December 2019) with the one immediately following it (March-December 2020).

RESULTS

418 patients were included. Over time, treatment was extended to older patients (mean age from 66.3 to 75.51 years; p = 0.006) and with a higher level of baseline disability (baseline mRS score from 0.22 to 1.22; p = 0.000). A statistically significant reduction over the years was found for DTN, going from 90 min to 61 min (p = 0.000) with also an increase in the number of thrombolysis performed within the "golden hour" - more than 50% in 2019 and more of 60% in 2020. Comparing pre- and during COVID-19 pandemic periods, the number of patients remained almost unchanged, but with a significantly higher baseline disability (mRS = 1.18 vs. 0.72, p = 0.048). The pre-hospital process indicator OTD increased from 88.13 to 118.48 min, although without a statistically significant difference (p = 0.197). Despite the difficulties for hospitals due to pandemic, the hospital process indicators DTI and DTN remained substantially unchanged, as well as the clinical outcome indicators 3 m-mRS, NHISS and 24 h-NHISS.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the retrospective assessment of the Stroke Pathway highlighted its positive impact both on hospital processes and patients' outcomes, even during the COVID-19 pandemic, so that the current performance is aligning itself with international goals. Moreover, the analysis showed the need of improvement actions for both hospital and pre-hospital phases. The Stroke Pathway should be improved with the thrombolysis starting in the diagnostic imaging department in order to further reduce the DTN score. Moreover, health education initiatives involving all the stakeholders should be promoted, also by using social media, to increase population awareness on timely recognition of stroke signs and symptoms and emergence medical services usage.

Exploring Stroke Risk Factors and Outcomes in Sexual and Gender Minority People

Background and Objectives

Cerebrovascular disease in sexual and gender minority (SGM) people remains poorly understood. Our primary objective was to describe the epidemiology and outcomes in a sample of SGM people with stroke. As a secondary objective, we compared this group with non-SGM people with stroke to assess for significant differences in risk factors or outcomes.

Methods

This was a retrospective chart review study of SGM people admitted to an urban stroke center with primary diagnosis of stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic). We evaluated stroke epidemiology and outcomes, summarizing with descriptive statistics. We then matched 1 SGM person to 3 non-SGM people by year of birth and year of diagnosis to compare demographics, risk factors, inpatient stroke metrics, and outcomes.

Results

A total of 26 SGM people were included in the analysis: 20 (77%) had ischemic strokes, 5 (19%) intracerebral hemorrhages, and 1 (4%) subarachnoid hemorrhage. Compared with non-SGM people (n = 78), stroke subtypes showed a similar distribution (64 (82%) ischemic strokes, 12 (15%) intracerebral hemorrhages, 1 (1%) subarachnoid hemorrhage, and 1 nontraumatic subdural hematoma, p > 0.05) but suspected ischemic stroke mechanisms had a different distribution (χ² = 17.56, p = 0.01). Traditional stroke risk factors were similar between the 2 groups. The SGM group seemed to have higher rates of nontraditional stroke factors, including HIV (31% vs 0%, p < 0.01), syphilis (19% vs 0%, p < 0.01), and hepatitis C (15% vs 5%, p < 0.01) but were more likely to be tested for these risk factors (χ² = 15.80, p < 0.01; χ² = 11.65, p < 0.01; χ² = 7.83, p < 0.01, respectively). SGM people were more likely to have recurrent strokes (χ² = 4.39, p < 0.04) despite similar follow-up rates.

Discussion

SGM people may have different risk factors, different mechanisms of stroke, and higher risk of recurrent stroke compared with non-SGM people. Standardized collection of sexual orientation and gender identity would enable larger studies to further understand disparities, leading to secondary prevention strategies.

Organizational Factors Determining Access to Reperfusion Therapies in Ischemic Stroke-Systematic Literature Review

BACKGROUND

After onset of acute ischemic stroke (AIS), there is a limited time window for delivering acute reperfusion therapies (ART) aiming to restore normal brain circulation. Despite its unequivocal benefits, the proportion of AIS patients receiving both types of ART, thrombolysis and thrombectomy, remains very low. The organization of a stroke care pathway is one of the main factors that determine timely access to ART. The knowledge on organizational factors influencing access to ART is sparce. Hence, we sought to systematize the existing data on the type and frequency of pre-hospital and in-hospital organizational factors that determine timely access to ART in patients with AIS.

METHODOLOGY

Literature review on the frequency and type of organizational factors that determine access to ART after AIS. Pubmed and Scopus databases were the primary source of data. OpenGrey and Google Scholar were used for searching grey literature. Study quality analysis was based on the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

RESULTS

A total of 128 studies were included. The main pre-hospital factors associated with delay or access to ART were medical emergency activation practices, pre-notification routines, ambulance use and existence of local/regional-specific strategies to mitigate the impact of geographic distance between patient locations and Stroke Unit (SU). The most common intra-hospital factors studied were specific location of SU and brain imaging room within the hospital, and the existence and promotion of specific stroke treatment protocols. Most frequent factors associated with increased access ART were periodic public education, promotion of hospital pre-notification and specific pre- and intra-hospital stroke pathways. In specific urban areas, mobile stroke units were found to be valid options to increase timely access to ART.

CONCLUSIONS

Implementation of different organizational factors and strategies can reduce time delays and increase the number of AIS patients receiving ART, with most of them being replicable in any context, and some in only very specific contexts.

Impact of an emergency medicine pharmacist on door to needle alteplase time and patient outcomes in acute ischemic stroke

PURPOSE

Time is a critical metric in the emergency department (ED) for acute ischemic stroke and thrombolytic therapy. National guidelines have emphasized tracking time from stroke onset to treatment and decreasing door to needle (DTN) time [1, 2]. Multidisciplinary teamwork is encouraged but, there is limited evidence demonstrating the value of the pharmacist on the stroke response team. The goal of this study is to compare DTN times in the ED with or without a pharmacist at bedside and examine the impact on subsequent patient outcomes.

METHODS

This was a single-center retrospective cohort study. Investigators identified patients who presented to the ED between August 2016 - May 2020 with signs of ischemic stroke and subsequently received intravenous alteplase. Patients were excluded if they refused alteplase or received alteplase off-campus before being transferred. Pharmacist documentation of clinical interventions was used to identify participation on the stroke response team. The primary outcome was median DTN time. Secondary outcomes included severity of deficits measured by the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), hospital length of stay (LOS), 90-day Modified Rankin Scale (mRS), incidence of intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), and inpatient all-cause mortality.

RESULTS

Of the 164 patients included, 31 had an emergency medicine pharmacist at bedside (EMP group) and 133 did not (No EMP group). The median DTN time was significantly shorter at 35 min EMP [interquartile range (IQR) 29-44] vs 42 min No EMP [IQR 34-55]; p = 0.003. The number of cases achieving a DTN time of 30 min or less was significantly higher when a pharmacist was involved (35.5% vs.16.5%; p = 0.018) as well as the number of patients receiving alteplase within 45 min (80.7% vs. 57.1%; p = 0.015). NIHSS scores at discharge were lower in the EMP group (2 [IQR 0-5] vs. 4 [IQR 0-8.25]; p = 0.049). In patients with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) confirmed stroke, a difference was not observed in the secondary outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Patients with an emergency medicine pharmacist as part of their stroke response team had significantly lower DTN times. A higher proportion of these cases met benchmark DTN times less than 45 min and 30 min. An emergency medicine pharmacist on a stroke response team has the potential to improve patient care.

Effects of an external ventricular drain alert protocol on venticulostomy placement time in the emergency department

OBJECTIVE

Timely ventriculostomy placement is critical in the management of neurosurgical emergencies. Prompt external ventricular drain (EVD) placement has been shown to improve long-term patient outcomes and decrease the length of ICU and hospital stays. Successful and efficient EVD placement requires seamless coordination among multiple healthcare teams. In this study, the authors sought to identify factors favoring delayed ventriculostomy via a quality improvement initiative and to implement changes to expedite EVD placement.

METHODS

Through process mapping, root cause analysis, and interviews with staff, the authors identified the lack of a standardized mechanism for alerting necessary healthcare teams as a major contributor to delays in EVD placement. In December 2019, an EVD alert system was developed to automatically initiate an EVD placement protocol and to alert the neurosurgery department, pharmacy, core laboratory, and nursing staff to prepare for EVD placement. The time to EVD placement was tracked prospectively using time stamps in the electronic medical record.

RESULTS

A total of 20 patients who underwent EVD placement between December 2019 and April 2021, during the EVD alert protocol initiation, and 18 preprotocol control patients (January 2018 to December 2019) met study inclusion criteria and were included in the analysis. The mean time to EVD placement in the control group was 71.88 minutes compared with 50.3 minutes in the EVD alert group (two-tailed t-test, p = 0.025). The median time to EVD placement was 64 minutes in the control group compared with 52 minutes in the EVD alert group (rank-sum test, p = 0.0184). All patients from each cohort exhibited behavior typical of stable processes, with no violation of Shewhart rules and no special cause variations on statistical process control charts.

CONCLUSIONS

A quality improvement framework helped identify sources of delays to EVD placement in the emergency department. An automated EVD alert system was a simple intervention that significantly reduced the time to EVD placement in the emergency department and can be easily implemented at other institutions to improve patient care.

In-hospital systems interventions in acute stroke reperfusion therapy: a meta-analysis

OBJECTIVES

The value of in-hospital systems-based interventions in streamlining treatment delays associated with reperfusion therapy delivery in acute ischaemic stroke (AIS), in the emergency department (ED), is poorly understood. This systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to assess and quantify the value of in-hospital systems-based interventions in streamlining reperfusion therapy delivery following AIS.

MATERIAL & METHODS

Articles from the following databases were retrieved: Medline, Embase and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials. The primary endpoint was in-hospital time metrics between the intervention and control group. The secondary endpoint included the rate of good functional outcome at 90 days.

RESULTS

393 Systems intervention studies published after 2015 were screened, and 231 full articles were then read. In total, 35 studies with 35,815 patients were included in the final systematic review and 26 studies with 7,089 patients were used in the meta-analysis. The greatest time reductions from in-hospital system interventions were achieved in door-to-needle (DTN) time (SMD: -2.696, 95% CI: -2.976, -2.416, z = 3.03, p = 0.002). Systems interventions were also associated with a statistically significant improvement in mortality (RR: 0.25, 95% CI: 0.18, 0.38), rate of symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (RR: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.1) and ≤60-minute reperfusion rates (RR: 0.63, 95% CI: 0.51, 0.79).

CONCLUSIONS

The use of in-hospital workflow optimization is imperative to expedite reperfusion therapy delivery and improving patient outcomes. To reduce the morbidity and mortality of stroke globally, in-hospital workflow guidelines should be adhered to and incorporated including the optimal elements identified in this study.

In-hospital acute stroke workflow in acute stroke - Systems-based approaches

Clinical outcomes of acute ischaemic stroke patients have significantly improved with the advent of reperfusion therapy. However, time continues to be a critical factor. Reducing treatment delays by improving workflows can improve the efficacy of acute reperfusion therapy. Systems-based approaches have improved in-hospital temporal parameters, maximizing the utility of reperfusion therapies and improving clinical benefit to patients. However, studies aimed at optimizing and hence reducing treatment delays in emergency department (ED) settings are limited. The aim of this article is to discuss existing systems-based approaches to optimize ED acute stroke workflows and its value in reducing treatment delays and identify gaps in existing workflows that need optimization. Identifying gaps in acute stroke workflow, variations in processes and challenges in implementation, in the in-hospital settings, is essential for systems-based interventions to be effective in delivering improved outcomes for patients with acute ischaemic stroke.

Automatic Grading of Stroke Symptoms for Rapid Assessment Using Optimized Machine Learning and 4-Limb Kinematics: Clinical Validation Study

Background

Subtle abnormal motor signs are indications of serious neurological diseases. Although neurological deficits require fast initiation of treatment in a restricted time, it is difficult for nonspecialists to detect and objectively assess the symptoms. In the clinical environment, diagnoses and decisions are based on clinical grading methods, including the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score or the Medical Research Council (MRC) score, which have been used to measure motor weakness. Objective grading in various environments is necessitated for consistent agreement among patients, caregivers, paramedics, and medical staff to facilitate rapid diagnoses and dispatches to appropriate medical centers.

Objective

In this study, we aimed to develop an autonomous grading system for stroke patients. We investigated the feasibility of our new system to assess motor weakness and grade NIHSS and MRC scores of 4 limbs, similar to the clinical examinations performed by medical staff.

Methods

We implemented an automatic grading system composed of a measuring unit with wearable sensors and a grading unit with optimized machine learning. Inertial sensors were attached to measure subtle weaknesses caused by paralysis of upper and lower limbs. We collected 60 instances of data with kinematic features of motor disorders from neurological examination and demographic information of stroke patients with NIHSS 0 or 1 and MRC 7, 8, or 9 grades in a stroke unit. Training data with 240 instances were generated using a synthetic minority oversampling technique to complement the imbalanced number of data between classes and low number of training data. We trained 2 representative machine learning algorithms, an ensemble and a support vector machine (SVM), to implement auto-NIHSS and auto-MRC grading. The optimized algorithms performed a 5-fold cross-validation and were searched by Bayes optimization in 30 trials. The trained model was tested with the 60 original hold-out instances for performance evaluation in accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC).

Results

The proposed system can grade NIHSS scores with an accuracy of 83.3% and an AUC of 0.912 using an optimized ensemble algorithm, and it can grade with an accuracy of 80.0% and an AUC of 0.860 using an optimized SVM algorithm. The auto-MRC grading achieved an accuracy of 76.7% and a mean AUC of 0.870 in SVM classification and an accuracy of 78.3% and a mean AUC of 0.877 in ensemble classification.

Conclusions

The automatic grading system quantifies proximal weakness in real time and assesses symptoms through automatic grading. The pilot outcomes demonstrated the feasibility of remote monitoring of motor weakness caused by stroke. The system can facilitate consistent grading with instant assessment and expedite dispatches to appropriate hospitals and treatment initiation by sharing auto-MRC and auto-NIHSS scores between prehospital and hospital responses as an objective observation.

Ischemic stroke: clinical pathway impact

PURPOSE

A clinical pathway for patients with acute ischemic stroke was implemented in 2014 by one Italian teaching hospital multidisciplinary team. The purpose of this paper is to determine whether this clinical pathway had a positive effect on patient management by comparing performance data.

DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH

Volume, process and outcome indicators were analyzed in a pre-post retrospective observational study. Patients' (admitted in 2013 and 2015) medical records with International Classification of Diseases, ICD-9 code 433.x (precerebral artery occlusion and stenosis), 434.x (cerebral artery occlusion) and 435.x (transient cerebral ischemia) and registered correctly according to hospital guidelines were included.

FINDINGS

An increase context-sensitive in-patient numbers with more severe cerebrovascular events and an increase in patient transfers from the Stroke to Neurology Unit within three days (70 percent, p=0.25) were noted. Clinical pathway implementation led to an increase in patient flow from the Emergency Department to dedicated specialized wards such as the Stroke and Neurology Unit (23.7 percent, p<0.001). Results revealed no statistically significant decrease in readmission rates within 30 days (5.7 percent, p=0.85) and no statistically significant differences in 30-day mortality.

RESEARCH LIMITATIONS/IMPLICATIONS

The pre-post retrospective observational study design was considered suitable to evaluate likely changes in patient flow after clinical pathway implementation, even though this design comes with limitations, describing only associations between exposure and outcome.

ORIGINALITY/VALUE

Clinical pathway implementation showed an overall positive effect on patient management and service efficiency owing to the standardized application in time-dependent protocols and multidisciplinary/integrated care implementation, which improved all phases in acute ischemic stroke care.

Stroke Characteristics, Risk Factors, and Outcomes in Transgender Adults: A Case Series

OBJECTIVES

To describe the clinical characteristics and risk factors of male-to-female transgender (transwomen) patients with acute stroke.

METHODS

The study population included all patients admitted for stroke at San Francisco General Hospital from October 1, 2010 through August 31, 2017 who self-identified as transwomen. Patient charts were reviewed by the study coauthors for demographics, stroke risk factors, stroke characteristics, and clinical outcomes. Means, percentiles, and ranges were calculated.

RESULTS

Eight transwomen (average age, 50±9 y; range, 38 to 61 y) were admitted for stroke (average NIHSS, 8; range, 0 to 27). The majority of patients presented subacutely. The most common type of stroke was ischemic stroke (4, 50%), followed by intracerebral hemorrhage (2, 22%), transient ischemic attack (1, 13%), and concurrent ischemic stroke with subarachnoid hemorrhage (1, 13%). While traditional stroke risk factors were present, these patients also disproportionally had alternative risk factors: stimulant use (5, 63%), tobacco use (5, 63%), hepatitis C (5, 63%), human immunodeficiency virus (3, 38%), and prior stroke or transient ischemic attack (2, 25%). Six patients (75%) used estradiol (oral or injection) or conjugated estrogen as part of gender-affirming treatment at the time of stroke; one patient used estrogen remotely. Only 2 patients (33%) were prescribed their hormone therapy on discharge.

CONCLUSIONS

Understanding unique vulnerabilities of the transgender community for cerebrovascular events is essential to provide culturally appropriate counseling for harm reduction.

Treatment at Safety-Net Hospitals Is Associated with Delays in Coil Embolization in Patients with Subarachnoid Hemorrhage

BACKGROUND

Successful endovascular management of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (aSAH) requires timely access to substantial resources. Prior studies suggest an association between time to treatment and patient outcome. Patients treated at safety-net hospitals are thought to be particularly vulnerable to disparities in access to interventions that require substantial technologic resources. We hypothesized that patients with aSAH treated at safety-net hospitals are at greater risk for delayed access to endovascular treatment.

METHODS

Adults undergoing endovascular coiling procedures between 2002 and 2011 in the Nationwide Inpatient Sample were included. Hospitals in the quartile with the highest proportion of Medicaid or uninsured patients were defined as safety-net hospitals. A multivariate model including patient-level and hospital-level factors was constructed to permit analysis of delays in endovascular treatment (defined as time to treatment >3 days).

RESULTS

Analysis included 7109 discharges of patients with aSAH undergoing endovascular coil embolization procedures from 2002 to 2011. Median time to coil embolization in all patients was 1 day; 10.1% of patients waited >3 days until treatment. In multivariate analysis, patients treated at safety-net hospitals were more likely to have a prolonged time to coil embolization (odds ratio = 1.32, P < 0.01) compared with patients treated at low-burden hospitals.

CONCLUSIONS

After controlling for patient and hospital factors, individuals with aSAH treated at safety-net hospitals from 2002 to 2011 were more likely to have a delay to endovascular coil embolization than individuals treated at non-safety-net hospitals. This disparity could affect patient outcomes.