Exclusive bed for thrombolysis. A simple measure that allows 85% of ischemic stroke patients to be treated in the first hour

Leito exclusivo para trombólise. Uma medida simples que permite que 85% dos pacientes com acidente vascular cerebral sejam tratados na primeira hora

ABSTRACT

The door-to-needle time is an important goal to reduce the time to treatment in intravenous thrombolysis.

Objective  Analyze if the inclusion of an exclusive thrombolytic bed reduces the door-to-needle time.

Method  One hundred and fifty patients admitted for neurological evaluation with ischemic stroke were separated in two groups: in the first, patients were admitted in the Emergency Room for intravenous thrombolysis (ER Group); in the second, patients were admitted in an exclusive thrombolytic bed in the general neurology ward (TB Group).

Results  Sixty-eight (86.0%) patients from TB Group were treated in the first 60 minutes of arrival as compared to 48 (67.6%) in the ER Group (p = 0.011).

Conclusion  The introduction of a thrombolytic bed in a general hospital setting can markedly reduce the door-to-needle time, allowing more than 85% of patients to be treated within the first hour of admission.

neurology; stroke; treatment; thrombolytic therapy