Abstract
SUMMARY: Timely administration of thrombolytic therapy is critical to maximizing the likelihood of favorable outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Although emergency medical service activation overall improves the timeliness of acute stroke treatment, the time from emergency medical service dispatch to hospital arrival unavoidably decreases the timeliness of thrombolytic administration. Our mobile stroke unit, a new-generation ambulance with on-board CT scanning capability, reduces key imaging time metrics and facilitates in-the-field delivery of IV thrombolytic therapy.
ABBREVIATIONS:
- EMS
- emergency medical service
- MSU
- mobile stroke unit
Footnotes
Disclosures: William J. Jones—RELATED: Grant: Benefits of Stroke Treatment Delivered using a Mobile Stroke Unit, Comments: Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute–funded, multicenter grant to study the effectiveness, including cost-effectiveness, of Mobile Stroke Units. Also, as site Principal Investigator for the BEST-MSU study, I, as well as the institution, get financial support from the BEST-MSU study*; Fees for Participation in Review Activities such as Data Monitoring Boards, Statistical Analysis, Endpoint Committees, and the Like: VOYAGER PAD, Comments: Independent Stroke Outcome Adjudicator for the Bayer Pharmaceuticals–sponsored VOYAGER PAD study. *Money paid to the institution.
A previous version of these data was presented at: Annual Meeting of the American Society of Neuroradiology and the Foundation of the ASNR Symposium, April 22–27, 2017; Long Beach, California.
- © 2018 by American Journal of Neuroradiology