Acta clinica Croatica, Vol. 46 No. 1, 2007.
Stručni rad
Time to Hospital Admission in Patients with Acute Stroke Observational Study in Split . Dalmatia County, Croatia
Ivica Bilić
Petar Filipović-Grčić
Ivo Lušić
Sažetak
The objective of this prospective observational study was to determine and document the time elapsed from symptom onset to hospital admission in patients with acute stroke. The study was conducted at Emergency Department, University Department of Neurology, Split University Hospital in Split, Croatia, from October 1, 2004 to December 21, 2004, and included 115 patients with acute stroke. Data on the time of onset of stroke symptoms, brain computed tomography finding and current clinical status were noted. Fifteen patients were excluded from the study because the exact time of symptom onset could not be determined. A standardized interview with patients and/or their relatives was taken to collect the information needed. Ischemic stroke was diagnosed in 82 of 100 patients. Only 13 patients arrived in hospital within 3 hours of stroke symptom onset, and 29 were admitted to hospital more than 24 hours of stroke symptom onset. Sex had no significant effect on arrival time. It was concluded that the majority of patients with acute stroke did not present to emergency department within 3 hours of symptom onset, the current time window for thrombolytic therapy. It seems crucial to identify the factors associated with late presentation to the hospital. Public recognition of stroke symptoms and understanding of the importance of early hospital admission are mandatory for improving the results recorded in this study with time elapsed from symptom onset to hospital admission and eligibility for thrombolytic therapy taken as the main outcome measures. Additional public education is needed to increase awareness of the stroke warning signs.
Ključne riječi
Cerebrovascular disorders - therapy; Cerebrovascular disorders - diagnosis; Acute disease; Hospitalization; Emergency medical services - statistics and numerical data; Disability evaluation
Hrčak ID:
12611
URI
Datum izdavanja:
30.3.2007.
Posjeta: 2.179 *