Stroke; a journal of cerebral circulation
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[Figure: see text].
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In the spring of 2021, reports of rare and unusual venous thrombosis in association with the ChAdOx1 and Ad26. COV2. S adenovirus-based coronavirus vaccines led to a brief suspension of their use by several countries. ⋯ At this time, the patient and community-level benefits of these two adenoviral vaccines vastly outweigh the rare but serious risks of vaccination. Due to the relatively low risk of severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in young women (<50 years), it is reasonable to recommend an alternative vaccine if one is available. Ongoing postmarketing observational studies are important for tracking new vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia cases and other rare side effects of these emergent interventions.
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Field Assessment Stroke Triage for Emergency Destination (FAST-ED) scale is a helpful tool to triage patients with stroke in the field. However, data on its reliability in the prehospital setting are lacking. We aim to test the reliability of FAST-ED scale when used by paramedics in a mobile stroke unit covering a metropolitan area. ⋯ We demonstrate excellent reliability of FAST-ED scale performed by paramedics when compared with VN, indicating that it can be accurately performed by paramedics in the prehospital setting.
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Review Case Reports
Rethinking Consent for Stroke Trials in Time-Sensitive Situations: Insights From the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Informed consent is a key concept to ensure patient autonomy in clinical trials and routine care. The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has complicated informed consent processes, due to physical distancing precautions and increased physician workload. ⋯ However, this challenging situation might also present an opportunity to rethink and reappraise our approach to consent in clinical trials. This viewpoint discusses the challenges related to informed consent during the COVID-19 pandemic, whether it could be acceptable to alter current consent processes under these circumstances, and outlines a possible framework with predefined criteria and a system of checks and balances that could allow for alterations of existing consent processes to maximize patient benefit under exceptional circumstances such as the COVID-19 pandemic without undermining patient autonomy.