Study Shows Mobile Stroke Units Lead to Better Outcomes 

A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine found that people with acute ischemic stroke had better outcomes when treated in a mobile stroke unit (MSU) instead of a standard emergency medical services (EMS) ambulance. In this clinical trial from 2014 to 2020, more than 1,500 participants were enrolled. For every 100 patients treated in an MSU, 27 had less final disability and 11 more were free of disability. Mortality at 90 days was 9% with MSU treatment vs 12% with (EMS) ambulance treatment. 

Tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) was given to 97% of people with ischemic stroke in the MSU vs 80% of those treated in a standard emergency medical services (EMS) ambulance. Participants treated in the MSU were more likely to receive tPA within 1 hour of their last known well time.

“If mobile stroke units are more widely adopted, this could have a large impact on public health by changing the practice of pre-hospital care,” said Jose-Miguel Yamal, PhD, professor of biostatistics and director of the Coordinating Center for Clinical Trials, Houston School of Public Health. “As we have learned in this trial, close integration and collaboration with the local emergency management systems is integral to the success of mobile stroke units. Embedding mobile stroke units into the EMS system has a huge payoff by being able to treat more stroke patients in those first critical hours after stroke.”