2018 Volume 23 Issue 1 Pages 39-44
A good outcome can be expected for patients who achieve recanalization earlier with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt‒PA) therapy and endovascular mechanical thrombectomy even within the treatable period. It is important for patients who present with acute ischemic stroke to visit the hospital for intravenous rt‒PA therapy and/or endovascular mechanical thrombectomy. Due to the strict criteria for administering these treatments, many patients are unable to benefit from them. In order to shorten the time from symptom onset to visiting the hospital, the time from symptom onset to visiting the hospital was reviewed in patients admitted to our hospital from 2014 to 2015 and delays in visiting the hospital were assessed using medical records.
From October 1, 2014 to September 30, 2015, 384 patients were admitted to our hospital, 69% of which presented with cerebral infarction. A total of 51% had visited the hospital more than 8 hours after onset, and only 30% had visited within 4.5 hours. rt‒PA therapy and/or endovascular mechanical thrombectomy were given in only 11% of patients. The use of an ambulance was more frequent in those with a shorter delay between onset and admission, and the ambulance use rate overall was 63%. In 45 to 60% of patients their condition was found and they were taken to the hospital not by themselves but their family members or others. It is important that citizens increase their knowledge of stroke symptoms and their status as a medical emergency.
