Prevalence of delayed diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke in an acute care hospital: A single‐center cross‐sectional study in Japan

BACKGROUNDS: Given the short therapeutic window for evidence‐based therapies such as thrombolysis and endovascular treatment, it is important to immediately diagnose ischemic stroke. We investigated the prevalence of missed ischemic stroke diagnoses at initial contact and the proportion of potentially treatable patients without a delayed diagnosis. METHODS: A cross‐sectional study was conducted. A total of 408 consecutive patients hospitalized due to acute ischemic stroke were included. The primary outcome was a delayed diagnosis of ischemic stroke at initial contact. A diagnosis of stroke was judged to be delayed unless physicians made a diagnosis and initiated treatment for ischemic stroke during the initial contact. The secondary outcome was ischemic stroke with a missed therapeutic window for effective treatment due to delayed diagnosis. RESULTS: The median patient age was 78 years old, and the median time from onset to presentation was nine hours. A diagnosis of stroke was deemed delayed in 49 (12.0%) patients. In the multivariable analysis, presentation 48 hours or more after stroke onset (OR 2.45) and the improvement of neurological symptoms prior to presentation (OR 3.11) were independently associated with delayed diagnosis of ischemic stroke. Opportunities for effective treatment were missed in 18 (36.7%) of the 49 delayed diagnosis cases, although no patients missed opportunities for thrombectomy due to delayed diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Even in the modern era, one out of every eight ischemic stroke cases was missed at the initial visit, and one‐third of missed stroke cases might be candidates for effective treatment without diagnostic delay.