• Johanna M Ospel, Jessalyn K Holodinsky, and Mayank Goyal.
• Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada; Department of Radiology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.
• J. Am. Coll. Cardiol. 2020 Apr 21; 75 (15): 1832-1843.

AbstractAcute ischemic stroke is a severe and life-threatening disease, particularly when caused by a large-vessel occlusion. The only available 2 treatment options are intravenous alteplase and endovascular therapy (mechanical clot removal), both of which are highly time-dependent. Thus, rapid patient transfer, diagnosis, and treatment are crucial, and time-consuming imaging methods and overly selective treatment selection criteria should be avoided. A combined endovascular therapy approach using stent-retrievers and aspiration is the most effective way to achieve fast first-pass complete reperfusion and should thus be used. To diagnose and treat patients as fast as possible, the organization of existing systems of care, and particularly pre-hospital transfer systems, have to be changed. Several different transport models are currently in use because the optimal patient transfer paradigm is highly dependent on local geography and hospital efficiency.Copyright © 2020 American College of Cardiology Foundation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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