15 Minutes Earlier Treatment of Stroke Could Save More Lives

Initiating stroke treatment just 15 minutes faster can save lives and prevent disability, finds new study.

Initiating treatments for stroke 15 minutes earlier could save lives and prevent disability, reveals new research published in JAMA.

The research also determined that busier hospitals -- those that treat more than 450 people for stroke each year -- have better outcomes than those that treat fewer than 400 stroke patients per year.

How to Deal with a Stroke - Signs - Symptoms - Risk Factors - Prevention
Stroke is a brain attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted. It affects all age groups; according to the WHO, 15 million people are affected by stroke annually.

‘Reducing the time interval between hospital admission and treatment could potentially save more lives and improve patients’ quality of lives after the procedure.’

Researchers at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and five other institutions in the U.S. and Canada, examined data for 6,756 people who experienced ischemic strokes. The patients' median age was 71, and 51.2% were women.

The researchers looked at stroke patients' treatment results in light of their "door-to-puncture" time -- that is, the interval from their arrival at the hospital to the time their treatment began.

The data showed that for every 1,000 people whose door-to-puncture time was 15 minutes sooner, 15 fewer died or were discharged to hospice care, 17 more were able to walk out of the hospital without assistance and 22 more could care for themselves after being discharged from the hospital. Researchers found that patients' median time from arriving at the hospital to the beginning of treatment was one hour, 27 minutes, and the median time from the onset of symptoms to treatment was three hours, 50 minutes.

Heat Stroke - Causes - Symptoms - Treatment - FAQs
Heat stroke is caused when body temperature or hyperthermia exceeds 40.6°C or 105.1°F. Heat stroke can be triggered due to overwork during summer months and lack of perspiration.

All of the patients in the study were treated with endovascular reperfusion therapy, which is used to treat strokes caused by a blockage in one of the major arteries of the brain.

The study is one of the largest to quantify the number of patients per thousand that could be saved by earlier stroke treatment, and to do so using real-world data as opposed to a clinical trial, according to Dr. Reza Jahan, the study's co-lead author and a professor of interventional neuroradiology at the Geffen School of Medicine.

Beauty Parlor Stroke Syndrome | Vertebrobasilar Insufficiency - Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis and Treatment
Beauty parlor stroke syndrome is a form of vertebrobasilar insufficiency that causes symptoms of mild to severe stroke after a hair wash in a beauty parlor.

About 795,000 people in the U.S. have strokes each year, and about 140,000 die as a result. Ischemic strokes, which occur when a vessel supplying blood to the brain is obstructed, account for 87% of all strokes. (Other types of strokes include hemorrhagic strokes and transient ischemic attacks, which are sometimes referred to as mini strokes.)

Based on the study's results, saving 15 minutes off of treatment time could potentially improve results for thousands of people each year.

Stroke – Early Warning Signs - Risk Factor - Rehab - Treatment
Stroke can cause permanent disability and it is important to recognize its early warning signs to stop its progress. Early warning signs of stroke include sudden weakness of facial muscles.

The study found that hospitals that perform endovascular reperfusion therapy on more than 50 patients per year generally begin treatment faster than hospitals that perform fewer than 30; and that initial treatment tends to be delayed at hospitals that are not certified as comprehensive stroke centers or are located in the Northeast, as well as for people who have a stroke during hospital "off hours" -- weekends, holidays, and before 7 a.m. and after 6 p.m. on weekdays.

"We're trying to improve treatment with better staffing on off hours and getting doctors to the hospital quicker when they're on call," Jahan said. "Patients who arrive at the hospital at 2 a.m. should be treated no differently than people who arrive at 2 p.m."

Treatment delays also are more likely for people who live alone or fail to recognize their own stroke symptoms.

Based on the study results, the American Heart Association has already published new goals regarding how fast patients should be treated at comprehensive stroke centers, Jahan said.

Source-Eurekalert