REPORTING TIME OF ISCHEMIC STROKE PATIENTS WITHIN THE TIME WINDOW FOR THROMBOLYSIS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL AT RAWALPINDI
Time Window for Thrombolysis
Keywords:
Ischemic stroke, Reporting time (RT), Therapeutic window, Tissue plasminogen activator (TPA)Abstract
Objective: To determine the reporting time of ischemic stroke patients within the time window for thrombolysis at Military Hospital (MH) Rawalpindi.
Design: A descriptive study.
Place and Duration of Study: Military Hospital Rawalpindi over a period of four months from Dec 2013 to Mar 2014.
Patients and Methods: Patients admitted to MH Rawalpindi with symptoms suggestive of stroke and having objective focal neurologic deficits consistent with stroke were included in the study. A CT scan of brain was carried out immediately to rule out intracranial bleed. The CT scan of brain was either normal or revealed radiological findings suggestive of an infarct.
Results: A total of 86 patients met the inclusion criteria of the study. Only 19 (22%) patients with ischemic stroke presented to the hospital within 4½ hours after onset of their symptoms.
Conclusion: Only a small number of ischemic stroke patients report to the hospital within the therapeutic window for thrombolytic therapy.
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