Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban India

Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally and ranks third for combined death and disability. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant rise in stroke incidence, mortality, and morbidity, with low- and middle-income countries being disproportionately affected. The...

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Main Authors: Neha Sharma, Shweta Tyagi, Nitin Jain, Rajnish Kumar, Govind Prakas, Nitisha Goyal
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2024-04-01
Series:MGM Journal of Medical Sciences
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Online Access:https://doi.org/10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_236_23
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author Neha Sharma
Shweta Tyagi
Nitin Jain
Rajnish Kumar
Govind Prakas
Nitisha Goyal
author_facet Neha Sharma
Shweta Tyagi
Nitin Jain
Rajnish Kumar
Govind Prakas
Nitisha Goyal
author_sort Neha Sharma
collection DOAJ
description Background: Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally and ranks third for combined death and disability. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant rise in stroke incidence, mortality, and morbidity, with low- and middle-income countries being disproportionately affected. The effectiveness of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke has led centers specializing in acute stroke care to develop protocols for rapid identification and triage of stroke patients. It is recommended that various stakeholders be educated on recognizing and managing stroke early and implement stroke protocols to improve coordination between different departments. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary care center in urban India from September 2021 to September 2022. We aimed to determine the average door-to-imaging (DTI) and door-to-needle (DTN) times for patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke. Additionally, we examined the factors contributing to delays in DTN time management of acute ischemic stroke at our center. Results: During the one-year study period, 131 patients with acute stroke presented to our center. One patient was under 18 years old, 10 patients arrived more than 4.5 h after symptom onset, and 2 patients had contraindications for thrombolysis. Consequently, 118 patients were included in the study. The average DTI time was 23 min, and the average DTN time was 58 min. Of these, 106 patients (89.8%) had a DTN time of less than 60 min. The most common cause of treatment initiation delay was obtaining consent (n = 7; 58.3%), followed by an unreliable time of symptom onset (n = 3; 25%) and delays due to resuscitation (n = 2; 16.6%). Conclusion: Acute stroke is a time-sensitive emergency where early thrombolysis can significantly reduce both morbidity and mortality. However, due to a lack of awareness and accessible resources, many patients often arrive outside the treatment window. Despite these limitations, a substantial number of patients do reach the hospital in time. Implementing a stroke protocol and utilizing innovative methods to reduce time can ensure these patients benefit from the global “standard of care” treatment for stroke.
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spelling doaj-art-5c93bf2aeb4e4c60a35c340f7758fc052025-01-25T10:19:23ZengWolters Kluwer Medknow PublicationsMGM Journal of Medical Sciences2347-79462347-79622024-04-0111230731010.4103/mgmj.mgmj_236_23Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban IndiaNeha SharmaShweta TyagiNitin JainRajnish KumarGovind PrakasNitisha GoyalBackground: Stroke is the second leading cause of death globally and ranks third for combined death and disability. Over the past two decades, there has been a significant rise in stroke incidence, mortality, and morbidity, with low- and middle-income countries being disproportionately affected. The effectiveness of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke has led centers specializing in acute stroke care to develop protocols for rapid identification and triage of stroke patients. It is recommended that various stakeholders be educated on recognizing and managing stroke early and implement stroke protocols to improve coordination between different departments. Materials and Methods: The study was conducted in the emergency department of a tertiary care center in urban India from September 2021 to September 2022. We aimed to determine the average door-to-imaging (DTI) and door-to-needle (DTN) times for patients presenting with acute ischemic stroke. Additionally, we examined the factors contributing to delays in DTN time management of acute ischemic stroke at our center. Results: During the one-year study period, 131 patients with acute stroke presented to our center. One patient was under 18 years old, 10 patients arrived more than 4.5 h after symptom onset, and 2 patients had contraindications for thrombolysis. Consequently, 118 patients were included in the study. The average DTI time was 23 min, and the average DTN time was 58 min. Of these, 106 patients (89.8%) had a DTN time of less than 60 min. The most common cause of treatment initiation delay was obtaining consent (n = 7; 58.3%), followed by an unreliable time of symptom onset (n = 3; 25%) and delays due to resuscitation (n = 2; 16.6%). Conclusion: Acute stroke is a time-sensitive emergency where early thrombolysis can significantly reduce both morbidity and mortality. However, due to a lack of awareness and accessible resources, many patients often arrive outside the treatment window. Despite these limitations, a substantial number of patients do reach the hospital in time. Implementing a stroke protocol and utilizing innovative methods to reduce time can ensure these patients benefit from the global “standard of care” treatment for stroke.https://doi.org/10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_236_23door-to-needle (dtn)door-to-imaging (dti)stroke protocolthrombolytic therapy
spellingShingle Neha Sharma
Shweta Tyagi
Nitin Jain
Rajnish Kumar
Govind Prakas
Nitisha Goyal
Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban India
MGM Journal of Medical Sciences
door-to-needle (dtn)
door-to-imaging (dti)
stroke protocol
thrombolytic therapy
title Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban India
title_full Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban India
title_fullStr Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban India
title_full_unstemmed Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban India
title_short Implementation of stroke protocol: Insights from a tertiary care facility in urban India
title_sort implementation of stroke protocol insights from a tertiary care facility in urban india
topic door-to-needle (dtn)
door-to-imaging (dti)
stroke protocol
thrombolytic therapy
url https://doi.org/10.4103/mgmj.mgmj_236_23
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