To maintain procedural proficiency and certification according to the standards set by The Joint Commission—which accredits health care centers in the United States—thrombectomy-capable stroke centers (TSCs) must achieve a minimum annual procedural volume. The addition of thrombectomy-capable centers in a regional stroke care system has the potential to increase access but also to decrease patient presentations and procedural volume at nearby centers. This study sought to characterize the impact of certifying additional thrombectomy-capable centers on procedural volume by center in a large, urban Emergency Medical Services (EMS) system.

Data were collected from each designated thrombectomy-capable center in Los Angeles (LA) County from January 1, 2018 through June 30, 2022, during which a net total of five thrombectomy-capable centers were newly designated in the County. Per center volume for ischemic stroke presentations, intravenous (IV) thrombolysis administrations (IV tissue plasminogen activator [tPA]), and thrombectomy were tabulated by six-month interval. Median last-known-well-to-procedure times by LA County Public Health service planning area (SPA) were calculated. The effect of the number of designated centers on procedural volumes per center and median last-known-well-to-procedure times were analyzed via a linear mixed effects model with a log link function.

Procedural volume, ischemic stroke presentation volume, and last-known-well-to-procedure times had high variability over the time period studied. Nonetheless, the median values for each metric in this EMS system remained largely stable over the study period. There was no statistically significant association between the number of thrombectomy-capable centers and per center procedural volumes or times-to-procedure.

The designation of additional thrombectomy-capable centers in a regional stroke care system was not significantly associated with the volume of procedures by center or times-to-procedure, suggesting that additional centers may increase patient access to time-sensitive interventions without diluting patient presentations at existing centers.

There are gaps within current meta-analyses looking at the effects of tranexamic acid on sino-nasal surgery. This study aimed to update and summarise all current available evidence on the use of tranexamic acid in sino-nasal surgery.

A literature search was performed using four medical databases, Cochrane Library, Embase, Medline and PubMed. Data analysis was performed using dedicated meta-analysis software Review Manager (Revman).

Thirteen studies were included in the meta-analysis. The amount of blood loss and duration of surgery in tranexamic acid groups was statistically lower than placebo for both sinus and nasal surgery. Tranexamic acid improves the surgical field quality in sinus surgery but worsens the field in nasal surgery. Topical or intravenous administration of tranexamic acid in sinus surgery reduces blood loss, duration of surgery and improves the quality of the surgical field.

This study suggests that the use of tranexamic acid in sinus surgery reduces blood loss, decreases surgical duration and improves surgical field quality.

Childhood acute arterial ischemic stroke (AIS) is diagnosed at a median of 23 hours post-symptom onset, delaying treatment. Pediatric stroke pathways can expedite diagnosis. Our goal was to understand the similarities and differences between Canadian pediatric stroke protocols with the aim of optimizing AIS management.

We contacted neurologists at all 16 Canadian pediatric hospitals regarding AIS management. Established protocols were analyzed for similarities and differences in eight domains.

Response rate was 100%. Seven (44%) centers have an established AIS protocol and two (13%) have a protocol under development. Seven centers do not have a protocol; two redirect patients to adult neurology, five rely on a case-by-case approach for management. Analysis of the seven protocols revealed differences in: 1) IV-tPA dosage: age-dependent 0.75–0.9 mg/kg (N = 1) versus age-independent 0.9 mg/kg (N = 6), with maximum doses of 75 mg (N = 1) or 90 mg (N = 6); 2) IV-tPA lower age cut-off: 2 years (N = 5) versus 3 or 10 years (each N = 1); 3) IV-tPA exclusion criteria: PedNIHSS score <4 (N = 3), <5 (N = 1), <6 (N = 3); 4) first choice of pre-treatment neuroimaging: computed tomography (CT) (N = 3), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) (N = 2) or either (N = 2); 5) intra-arterial tPA use (N = 3) and; 6) mechanical thrombectomy timeframe: <6 hour (N = 3), <24 hour (N = 2), unspecified (N = 2).

Although 44% of Canadian pediatric hospitals have established AIS management pathways, several differences remain among centers. Some criteria (dosage, imaging) reflect adult AIS literature. Canadian expert consensus regarding IV-tPA and endovascular treatment should be established to standardize and implement AIS protocols across Canada.

Ischemic stroke treatment is time-sensitive, and barriers to providing prehospital care encountered by Emergency Medical Services (EMS) providers have been under-studied.

This study described barriers to providing prehospital care, identified predictors of these barriers, and assessed the impact of these barriers on EMS on-scene time and administration of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) in the emergency department (ED).

A retrospective cohort study was performed using the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke (GWTG-S; American Heart Association [AHA]; Dallas, Texas USA) registry at two hospitals to identify ischemic stroke patients arriving by EMS. Variables were abstracted from prehospital and hospital medical records and merged with registry data. Barriers to care were grouped into themes. Logistic regression was used to identify predictors of barriers to care, and bi-variate tests were used to assess differences in EMS on-scene time and the proportion of patients receiving tPA between patients with and without barriers.

Barriers to providing prehospital care were documented for 15.5% of patients: 29.6% related to access, 26.7% communication, 23.0% extrication and transportation, 20.0% refusal, and 14.1% assessment/management. Non-white and non-black race (OR: 3.69; 95% CI, 1.63-8.36) and living alone (OR: 1.53; 95% CI, 1.05-2.23) were associated with greater odds of barriers to providing care. The EMS on-scene time was ≥15 minutes for 70.4% of patients who had a barrier to care, compared with 49.0% of patients who did not (P<.001). There was no significant difference in the proportion of patients who were administered tPA between those with and without barriers to care (14.1% vs 19.2%; P=.159).

Barriers to providing prehospital care were documented for a sizable proportion of ischemic stroke patients, with the majority related to patient access and communication, and occurred more frequently among non-white and non-black patients and those living alone. Although EMS on-scene time was longer for patients with barriers to care, the proportion of patients receiving tPA in the ED did not differ.

LiT, CushmanJT, ShahMN, KellyAG, RichDQ, JonesCMC. Barriers to Providing Prehospital Care to Ischemic Stroke Patients: Predictors and Impact on Care. Prehosp Disaster Med.2018;33(5):501–507.

Reports in the literature of treatment with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator following cardiac surgery are limited. We reviewed our experience to provide a case series of the therapeutic use of tissue plasminogen activator for the treatment of venous thrombosis in children after cardiac surgery. The data describe the morbidity, mortality, and clinical outcomes of tissue plasminogen activator administration for treatment of venous thrombosis in children following cardiac surgery.

The study was designed as a retrospective case series.

The study was carried out in a 25-bed cardiac intensive care unit in an academic, free-standing paediatric hospital.

All children who received tissue plasminogen activator for venous thrombosis within 60 days of cardiac surgery, a total of 13 patients, were included.

Data was collected, collated, and analysed as a part of the interventions of this study.

Patients treated with tissue plasminogen activator were principally young infants (median 0.2, IQR 0.07–0.58 years) who had recently (22, IQR 12.5–27.3 days) undergone cardiac surgery. Hospital mortality was high in this patient group (38%), but there was no mortality attributable to tissue plasminogen activator administration, occurring within <72 hours. There was one major haemorrhagic complication that may be attributable to tissue plasminogen activator. Complete or partial resolution of venous thrombosis was confirmed using imaging in 10 of 13 patients (77%), and tissue plasminogen activator administration was associated with resolution of chylous drainage, with no drainage through chest tubes, at 10 days after tissue plasminogen activator treatment in seven of nine patients who had upper-compartment venous thrombosis-associated chylothorax.

On the basis of our experience with administration of tissue plasminogen activator in children after cardiac surgery, tissue plasminogen activator is both safe and effective for resolution of venous thrombosis in this high-risk population.

The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of the Stop Stroke (Pulsara; Bozeman, Montana USA) medical application on door-to-needle (DTN) time in patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with an acute ischemic stroke (AIS).

This was a retrospective cohort study of the Good Shepherd Health System (Longview, Texas USA) stroke quality improvement dashboard for a 25-month period from February 2012 through February 2014. Data analysis includes all data from Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS; Baltimore, Maryland USA) reportable cases receiving Tissue Plasminogen Activator (TPA) for AIS during the study period. The primary outcome was mean DTN times before and after initiating Stop Stroke. Secondary outcome was the effect on the DTN≤60-minute benchmark.

During the study period, there were 533 stroke activations (200 before Stop Stroke implementation and 333 after). A total of 68 patients meeting inclusion criteria were analyzed (34 pre-app and 34 post- app). The observed mean DTN times post-app decreased 21 minutes (77 to 56 minutes), a 28% improvement (P=.001). Further, the patients meeting DTN≤60 minutes improved from 32% (11 of 34) to 82% (28 of 34) after the app’s implementation.

In this cohort of patients with AIS, Stop Stroke improved mean DTN times and number of patients treated within 60 minutes of arrival. These results demonstrate the app’s effect of increasing awareness of suspected AIS and improving coordination of care, evidenced by the magnitude of its effect on treatment times.

DicksonR, NedelcutA, McPeek NedelcutM. Stop Stroke: A Brief Report on Door-to-Needle Times and Performance After Implementing an Acute Care Coordination Medical Application and Implications to Emergency Medical Services. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2017;32(3):343–347.