Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases : the official journal of National Stroke Association
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · May 2014
Stroke education program of act FAST for junior high school students and their parents.
We produced a stroke education program using the FAST (facial droop, arm weakness, speech disturbance, time to call an ambulance) mnemonic. ⋯ Our stroke education program improved stroke knowledge, especially the FAST message, for junior high school students and their parents.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · May 2014
Utility of early post-treatment single-photon emission computed tomography imaging to predict outcome in stroke patients treated with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator.
It is important to predict the outcome of tissue plasminogen activator (tPA)-treated patients early after the treatment for considering the post-tPA treatment option. We assessed cerebral blood flow (CBF) of tPA-treated patients with single-photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) 1 hour after tPA infusion to predict the patient outcome. Technetium-99m-hexamethylpropyleneamine oxime SPECT was performed in 35 consecutive tPA-treated patients. ⋯ Most ICHs were located in hypoperfusion areas, and no ICH was related to hyperperfusion. The results of the present study demonstrated that hypoperfusion volume was associated with poor outcome, whereas the presence of hyperperfusion seemed to be predictive of symptom improvement but not of development of ICH. Taken together, early post-treatment SPECT imaging seems to be a useful biomarker of outcome in tPA-treated patients.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · May 2014
Multicenter Study Comparative Study Observational StudyCurrent status of recanalization therapy in acute ischemic stroke with symptomatic intracranial arterial occlusion in Korea.
Recent methodological advances in recanalization therapy may alter recanalization strategies and clinical outcomes in patients with symptomatic occlusion of intracranial cerebral arteries. However, few studies have analyzed these changes at a national level, with none conducted in Korea. ⋯ The variety and active use of endovascular approaches were quite noticeable. As a whole, recanalization therapy tended to contribute to favorable outcomes despite a significant increase of symptomatic hemorrhage.
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The timing of tracheostomy in stroke patients unable to protect their airway has become a topic of debate. Proponents for early tracheostomy (ET) cite benefits including less ventilation-associated pneumonia, less sedative drug use, shorter length of stay, and reduced mortality in comparison with late tracheostomy (LT). ⋯ Early tracheostomy for stroke patients may reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia, thereby shortening the hospital stay and lowering total hospital costs. These relationships warrant further investigation in a large prospective multicenter trial.
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J Stroke Cerebrovasc Dis · May 2014
Comparative StudyStroke in Switzerland: social determinants of treatment access and cost of illness.
Few useful empirical data on stroke are available for Switzerland. The aim of this study was to collect data on the use of medical resources and associated costs among stroke patients. Special attention was paid to possible correlations between epidemiologic indicators, sociodemographic variables, resource use, and costs. ⋯ This survey confirms the medical and economic importance of stroke and supplements the existing European data. Further research is needed in regard to incidence differences in stroke across Switzerland. Patients without supplementary insurance or with low household income were less likely to receive inpatient treatment.