Let´s Remember ... Time is Brain!

Abstract

Background: The cerebrovascular accident or stroke is a common
cause of morbidity and mortality in Europe and is the leading
cause of death and disability in Portugal. Important features of
differentiated care for the stroke patients include a stroke unit,
an approach by a multidisciplinary team and a comprehensive
organization. Window-dependent diagnosis and therapies, such
as intravenous thrombolytic therapy, access to thrombectomy,
early mobilization and rehabilitation are also required. The main
objective was the quality assessment to the different stages of
the “stroke circuit” of CHTV, over a period of two years after the
implementation of some measures which intended to improve
event-door and door-to-needle times.
Material and Methods: Retrospective analysis of medical and
ALERT® records of patients admitted to the Stroke unit of CHTV
that underwent intravenous thrombolysis. We analyzed the demographics,
the various steps that compose the stroke circuit, time
of hospitalization and NIHS score on admission and after intravenous
treatment.
Results: In the period proposed, 92 patients undergone thrombolysis,
but only 81 patients met the inclusion criteria. The average
age of patients was 71.93 years, with a predominance of
females. Overall, the times symptom-door and symptom-needle
had a normal distribution while maintaining the medium similar
precedent averages. They were not influenced by other times that
comprise them.
Conclusion: A well-structured “stroke circuit” and its implementation
it’s essential to improve the functional outcome. There are
many logistical barriers that limit their performance, but to understand
where you can “save time” is crucial.