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Prehospital pathways of occipital stroke patients with mainly visual symptoms
Author(s) -
Räty S.,
Silvennoinen K.,
Tatlisumak T.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
acta neurologica scandinavica
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.967
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1600-0404
pISSN - 0001-6314
DOI - 10.1111/ane.12807
Subject(s) - thrombolysis , medicine , stroke (engine) , visual field , emergency department , observational study , occipital lobe , neurology , emergency medicine , myocardial infarction , ophthalmology , psychiatry , mechanical engineering , radiology , engineering
Objectives Occipital ischemic strokes typically cause homonymous visual field defects, for which means of rehabilitation are limited. Intravenous thrombolysis is increasingly and successfully used for their acute treatment. However, recognition of strokes presenting with mainly visual field defects is challenging for both patients and healthcare professionals. We studied prehospital pathways of occipital stroke patients with mainly visual symptoms to define obstacles in their early recognition. Materials & methods This observational, retrospective, registry‐based study comprises occipital stroke patients with isolated visual symptoms treated at the neurological emergency department of Helsinki University Central Hospital in 2010‐2015. We analyzed their prehospital pathways, including time from symptom onset to admission at the neurological emergency department ( ODT ), the number of points of care, the percentage of patients with ODT ≤4.5 hours, and factors associated with delay. Results Among 245 patients, only 20.8% arrived within 4.5 hours and 6.5% received IV thrombolysis. Delayed arrival was most often due to patients' late contact to health care. Of the patients, 27.3% arrived through at least two points of care, and differential diagnostics to ophthalmologic disorders proved particularly challenging. ODT ≤4.5 hours was associated with EMS utilization, direct arrival, and atrial fibrillation; a visit at an ophthalmologist and initial misdiagnosis were associated with ODT >4.5 hours. After multivariable analysis, only direct arrival predicted ODT ≤4.5 hours. Conclusions Occipital stroke patients with visual symptoms contact health care late, are inadequately recognized, and present with complex prehospital pathways. Consequently, they are often ineligible for IV thrombolysis. This presents a missed opportunity for preventing permanent visual field defects.