Improving timely treatment with a stroke emergency map: The case of northern China

Abstract

Objective: The Chinese stroke emergency map (SEM) was implemented in 2017 to reduce prehospital and hospital delays for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients suitable for intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) thrombolysis. However, data on the time delay following the implementation of an SEM in China are limited. Methods: Data for suspected stroke patients from the SEM registry center of Taiyuan, Shanxi Province, from August 2017 to July 2019, patients’ characteristics, thrombolysis rate, and functional outcome at 90 days were analyzed. Results: One thousand seven hundred and eighty six patients who arrived at hospitals within 4.5 hr of onset were included; 35.9% arrived by emergency medical services (EMSs), and 1,207 (67.6%) of the population received intravenous rt-PA. As a result of the SEM, the number of patients treated with rt-PA increased from 63.9% in phase 1 (August 2017 to July 2018) to 70.5% in phase 2 (August 2018 to July 2019). The median onset-to-door and onset-to-needle times decreased by five minutes (100 [IQR: 62–135] vs. 105 [IQR: 70–145], p =.005) and nine minutes (158 [IQR: 124–197] vs. 167 [IQR: 132–214], p =.001), respectively. Patients in phase 2 achieved greater independent function outcome at 90 days (79.9% vs. 72.1%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.010; 95% confidence interval, 1.444–2.798). The binary logistic regression models revealed that shorter onset-to-needle time (OR: 0.994; 95% CI: 0.992–0.997; p