Advances in Critical Care/Emergency Medicine 2013
Stroke Reports Friday, February 7th, 2014STROKEAHA: January 16, 2014
ntravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) is the only therapy proven to improve outcome in ischemic stroke. Studies of intravenous thrombolysis show that response to therapy is time-dependent; the sooner the patients receive tPA, the better the chance of good outcome.1 The required brain imaging before tPA administration delays the initiation of therapy because it necessitates patient transport. In the Pre-Hospital Acute Neurological Treatment and Optimization of Medical Care in Stroke (PHANTOM-S) pilot study, Weber et al2 attempt to speed up stroke treatment by administering tPA before hospital arrival. When patients with presumed stroke contacted the emergency medical system, a stroke emergency mobile unit equipped with a CT scanner was dispatched. Brain imaging was performed at the scene, enabling tPA administration in the stroke emergency mobile unit. read more
