Door to thrombolysis: ER reorganization and reduced delays to acute stroke treatment

Neurology. 2006 Jul 25;67(2):334-6. doi: 10.1212/01.wnl.0000224759.44743.7d.

Abstract

The authors reorganized the emergency room (ER) by moving CT to the ER and streamlining triage by prenotification by emergency medical services (EMS), which reduced in-hospital delays and enhanced access to stroke thrombolysis. CT delay dropped from 1 hour 3 minutes +/- 14 minutes in 1999 to 7 +/- 2 minutes in 2004 (p < 0.0001). Door-to-needle time dropped from 1 hour 28 minutes +/- 7 minutes to 50 +/- 3 minutes (p < 0.001), while symptom-to-needle time dropped from 2 hours 44 minutes +/- 6 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes +/- 4 minutes (p < 0.0001). From 23 patients in 1999, thrombolysis access was increased to 100 patients in 2004 and 183 patients in 2005.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Acute Disease
  • Emergency Service, Hospital / organization & administration*
  • Finland / epidemiology
  • Hospital Restructuring / organization & administration*
  • Hospitalization / statistics & numerical data*
  • Humans
  • Stroke / therapy*
  • Thrombolytic Therapy / statistics & numerical data*
  • Time Management / organization & administration*
  • Triage / organization & administration*