Routing to Endovascular Treatment of Ischemic Stroke in Korea: Recognition of Need for Process Improvement.

ABSTRACT:

Background

To track triage, routing, and treatment status regarding access to endovascular treatment (EVT) after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) at a national level.

Methods

From national stroke audit data, potential candidates for EVT arriving within 6 hours with National Institute of Health Stroke Scale score of ≥ 7 were identified. Acute care hospitals were classified as thrombectomy-capable hospitals (TCHs, ≥ 15 EVT cases/year) or primary stroke hospital (PSH, < 15 cases/year), and patients' initial routes and subsequent inter-hospital transfer were described. Impact of initial routing to TCHs vs. PSHs on EVT and clinical outcomes were analyzed using multilevel generalized mixed effect models.

Results

Out of 14,902 AIS patients, 2,180 (14.6%) were EVT candidates. Eigh

SUBMITTER: Kang J 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC7590651 | biostudies-literature | 2020 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature