Prehospital Advanced Diagnostics and Treatment of Acute Stroke: Protocol for a Controlled Intervention Study

BACKGROUND: Acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is a medical emergency. The outcome is closely linked to the time elapsing from symptom onset to treatment, and seemingly small delays can mean the difference between full recovery and physical and cognitive dysfunction. Recanalization to allow blood to reenter the affected area is most efficient immediately after symptoms occur, and intravenous thrombolysis must be initiated no later than 4.5 hours after the symptom onset. A liable diagnosis is mandatory to administer the appropriate treatment. Prehospital diagnosis and, in cases where contraindications are ruled out, prehospital initiation of intravenous thrombolysis have been shown to significantly decrease the time from alarm to the treatment. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper is to investigate the effectiveness of prehospital thrombolysis as measured by (1) time spent from symptom onset to treatment and (2) the number of patients treated within 4.5 hours. In addition, we want to conduct explorative studies. These will include (1) the use of biomarkers for diagnostic and prognostic use where we will collect blood samples from various time points, including the hyperacute phase and (2) the study of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) images at day 1 to determine the infarct volume and if the time to thrombolysis has an influence on this. METHODS: This is a prospective controlled intervention study. The intervention will involve a computed tomography (CT) and thrombolysis in a physician-manned ambulance called a mobile stroke unit (MSU). The control will be the conventional pathway where the patient is transported to the hospital for CT, and thrombolysis as per current procedure. RESULTS: Patient inclusion has started and a total of 37 patients are enrolled (control and intervention combined). The estimated time to completed inclusion is 36 months, starting from May 2017. The results of this study will be analyzed and published at the end of the trial. CONCLUSIONS: This trial aims to document the feasibility of saving time for all stroke patients by providing prehospital diagnostics and treatment, as well as transport to appropriate level of care, in a safe environment provided by anesthesiologists trained in prehospital critical care. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03158259; https://clinicaltrials.gov/show/NCT03158259 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6wxNEUMUD)