Stroke Scales as Assessment Tools in Emergency Settings: A Narrative Review

Abstract

In the last 20 years, substantial improvements have been made in stroke recanalization treatment. Good outcomes after modern reperfusion treatment require the rapid and accurate identification of stroke patients. Several stroke rating scales are available or have been proposed for the early recognition of stroke and the evaluation of stroke severity and outcome. This review aims to provide an overview of commonly used stroke scales in emergency and clinical settings. The most commonly used scale in a prehospital setting for stroke recognition is the Face, Arms, Speech, Time (FAST) test. Among many prehospital stroke scales, the Los Angeles Prehospital Stroke Screen has the highest sensitivity and specificity for confirming stroke diagnosis. The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is the most recommended tool for the evaluation of stroke patients in hospital settings and research, and it has two variants: the shortened NIHSS for Emergency Medical Service and the modified NIHSS. The evaluation of comatose patients usually involves assessment with the Glasgow Coma Scale, which is very useful in patients with hemorrhagic stroke or traumatic brain injury. In patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage, the outcome is usually accessed with the Hunt and Hess scale. A commonly used tool for stroke outcome evaluation in clinical/hospital settings and research is the modified Rankin scale. The tools for disability evaluation are the Barthel Index and Functional Independence Measure.