New Protocol Improved Access to Stroke Care According to Study Presented at SNIS

The Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS) recently announced that findings from a study show that changing standard procedures for evaluating and treating patients with suspected stroke have led to improved access to lifesaving stroke surgery across the state of Delaware and should inform triage and treatment nationwide.

The study, “Direct From the Field Bypass to Comprehensive Stroke Center (CSC) Improves Timeliness and Likelihood of Thrombectomy for Patients with Emergent Large Vessel Occlusion,” was presented at the SNIS 21st annual meeting held July 22-26, 2024, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.

As summarized in the SNIS press release, the members of the Delaware Stroke System worked with the state’s emergency medical services (EMS) director to change the way that paramedics in Delaware evaluated individuals for suspected large vessel occlusion, increasing the number of patients who were immediately flown to CSCs for thrombectomy. These changes were implemented across the state in 2023.

During the first full year of implementation, 100 patients were flown directly to a CSC—hospitals with certified neurointerventional specialists on staff who can perform thrombectomies—bypassing the local primary stroke center (PSC).

Of those patients confirmed to have a target vessel occlusion on imaging, 79% underwent thrombectomy. In previous years, that percentage was 52% when patients arrived via interfacility transfer. These patients also received thrombectomy an estimated 2 to 3 hours earlier than if they had presented to the local PSC first.

SNIS noted that many patients live far from CSCs; therefore, stroke patients are first sent to PSCs, which have fewer stroke resources. If these patients are experiencing a severe stroke, they are often then rerouted to a CSC. This delay in treatment can put patients at risk for long-term disability or death from stroke.

“Implementing this new evidence-based screening and routing patients straight to comprehensive stroke centers has saved lives,” commented Thinesh Sivapatham, MD, in the SNIS press release.

Dr. Sivapatham, who is an interventional neuroradiologist and associate director of the Comprehensive Stroke Program at Delaware’s Christiana Care health system, continued, “Every stroke patient deserves access to lifesaving treatment, no matter where they are. We’re thrilled these procedures are allowing more people in Delaware to thrive after stroke and hope further systems across the United States will follow suit.”

Neurointerventional news coverage produced in conjunction with Endovascular Today.