Background and purpose: Previous studies have reported that early hospital arrival improves clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke; however, whether early arrival is associated with favorable outcomes regardless of reperfusion therapy and the type of stroke onset time is unclear. Thus, we investigated the impact of onset-to-door time on outcomes and evaluated the predictors of pre-hospital delay after ischemic stroke. Methods: Consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients who arrived at the hospital within five days of onset from September 2019 to May 2020 were selected from the prospective stroke registries of Seoul National University Hospital and Chung-Ang University Hospital of Seoul, Korea. Patients were divided into early (onset-to-door time, ≤4.5 h) and late (>4.5 h) arrivers. Multivariate analyses were performed to assess the effect of early arrival on clinical outcomes and predictors of late arrival. Results: Among the 539 patients, 28.4% arrived early and 71.6% arrived late. Early hospital arrival was significantly associated with favorable outcomes (three-month modified Rankin Scale [mRS]: 0−2, adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 2.03, 95% confidence interval: [CI] 1.04–3.96) regardless of various confounders, including receiving reperfusion therapy and type of stroke onset time. Furthermore, a lower initial National Institute of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score (aOR: 0.94, 95% CI: 0.90–0.97), greater pre-stroke mRS score (aOR: 1.58, 95% CI: 1.18–2.13), female sex (aOR: 1.71, 95% CI: 1.14–2.58), unclear onset time, and ≤6 years of schooling (aOR: 1.76, 95% CI: 1.03–3.00 compared to >12 years of schooling) were independent predictors of late arrival. Conclusions: Thus, the onset-to-door time of≤4.5 h is crucial for better clinical outcome, and lower NIHSS score, greater pre-stroke mRS score, female sex, unclear onset times, and ≤6 years of schooling were independent predictors of late arrival. Therefore, educating about the importance of early hospital arrival after acute ischemic stroke should be emphasized. More strategic efforts are needed to reduce the prehospital delay by understanding the predictors of late arrival.

Lee EJ, et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2023 Mar;38(10):e74. https://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2023.38.e74

Background: Late hospital arrival keeps patients with stroke from receiving recanalization therapy and is associated with poor outcomes. This study used a nationwide acute stroke registry to investigate the trends and regional disparities in prehospital delay and analyze the significant factors associated with late arrivals. Methods: Patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack between January 2012 and December 2021 were included. The prehospital delay was identified, and its regional disparity was evaluated using the Gini coefficient for nine administrative regions. Multivariate models were used to identify factors significantly associated with prehospital delays of >4.5 h. Results: A total of 144,014 patients from 61 hospitals were included. The median prehospital delay was 460 min (interquartile range, 116–1912), and only 36.8% of patients arrived at hospitals within 4.5 h. Long prehospital delays and high regional inequality (Gini coefficient > 0.3) persisted throughout the observation period. After adjusting for confounders, age > 65 years old (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.23; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.19–1.27), female sex (aOR = 1.09; 95% CI, 1.05–1.13), hypertension (aOR = 1.12; 95% CI, 1.08–1.16), diabetes mellitus (aOR = 1.38; 95% CI, 1.33–1.43), smoking (aOR = 1.15, 95% CI, 1.11–1.20), premorbid disability (aOR = 1.44; 95% CI, 1.37–1.52), and mild stroke severity (aOR = 1.55; 95% CI, 1.50–1.61) were found to independently predict prehospital delays of >4.5 h. Conclusion: Prehospital delays were lengthy and had not improved in Korea, and there was a high regional disparity. To overcome these inequalities, a deeper understanding of regional characteristics and further research is warranted to address the vulnerabilities identified.

Introduction: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to changes in stroke patients’ healthcare use. This study evaluated changes in Korean stroke patients’ health-seeking behaviors and stroke care services using data from the Korean Stroke Registry (KSR). Methods: We reviewed data from patients with acute stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA) during 2019 (before COVID-19 period) and 2020 (COVID-19 period). Outcomes included patient characteristics, time from stroke onset to hospital arrival, and in-hospital stroke pathways. Subgroup analyses were performed for an epidemic region (Daegu city and Gyeongsangbuk-do region, the D-G region). Results: The study included 1,792 patients from the pre-COVID-19 period and 1,555 patients from the COVID-19 period who visited hospitals that contribute to the KSR. During the COVID-19 period, the D-G region had two-thirds the number of cases (vs. the pre-CO­VID-19 period) and a significant decrease in the proportion of patients with TIA (9.97%–2.91%). Unlike other regions, the median onset-to-door time increased significantly in the D-G region (361 min vs. 526.5 min, p = 0.016), and longer onset-to-door times were common for patients with mild symptoms and who were in their 60s or 70s. The number of patients who underwent intravenous thrombolysis also decreased during the COVID-19 period, although the treatment times were not significantly different between the 2 periods. Discussion/Conclusion: Korean stroke patients in a CO­VID-19 epidemic region exhibited distinct changes in health-seeking behaviors. Appropriate triage system and public education regarding the importance of early treatment are needed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background and Purpose: Renal dysfunction is known to affect vasculature and lead to systemic arterial stiffness. It also independently increases the risk of cerebral small vessel disease (cSVD) and stroke. We aimed to examine the effect of renal dysfunction on cerebral hemodynamics and the burden of cSVD. Methods: Of the 412 patients admitted to Seoul National University Hospital, between May 2015 and 2019, with lacunar infarction and no major intracranial arterial stenosis observed on magnetic resonance angiography, we included 283 patients who had undergone a transcranial Doppler (TCD) ultrasound after 72 h of stroke onset. The patients were divided into renal dysfunction (estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR] <60 mL/min/1.73 m² at admission) and control (eGFR ≥60 mL/min/1.73 m²) groups. We investigated the correlations between renal function, the pulsatility index (PI), and the total MRI burden of cSVD. Furthermore, multivariate analysis was performed to assess the association between renal dysfunction and the PI of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) measured through TCD ultrasound. Results: Among the total patients, 74 (26.1%) had renal dysfunction (eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m² at admission). Patients with renal dysfunction were significantly older, showed higher pulse pressure, and had a higher prevalence of hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and coronary artery disease. Renal dysfunction was significantly associated with higher distal cerebrovascular flow resistance (median PI 1.12, interquartile range [IQR]: 0.85–1.57 vs. controls 0.84, IQR: 0.54–1.22; p < 0.001). Also, patients with renal dysfunction had a significantly higher total MRI burden of cSVD (median cSVD score 2, IQR: 1–3 vs. controls median score 1, IQR: 0–2; p < 0.001). There was an inverse proportional relationship between the PI and eGFR. Finally, multivariate analysis showed renal dysfunction (adjusted odds ratio: 4.516, 95% confidence interval: 1.051–20.292) and older age (adjusted odds ratio: 1.076, 95% confidence interval: 1.038–1.114) as independent predictors of a high PI. Conclusions: Renal dysfunction is independently associated with a high PI of MCA. Renal dysfunction leads to systemic arterial stiffness including stiffness in cerebral arteries, thus increasing the burden of cSVD. Therefore, noninvasive screening for high PI by TCD in kidney failure patients might be helpful.