RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the process and outcome of thrombectomy for acute ischemic stroke
JF Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery
JO J NeuroIntervent Surg
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
SP 664
OP 668
DO 10.1136/neurintsurg-2020-016177
VO 12
IS 7
A1 Bin Yang
A1 Tao Wang
A1 Jian Chen
A1 Yanfei Chen
A1 Yabing Wang
A1 Peng Gao
A1 Guilin Li
A1 Fei Chen
A1 Long Li
A1 Zheng Wang
A1 Hongqi Zhang
A1 Haiqing Song
A1 Qingfeng Ma
A1 Liqun Jiao
YR 2020
UL http://jnis.bmj.com/content/12/7/664.abstract
AB Background The novel coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic is still spreading across the world. Although the pandemic has an all-round impact on medical work, the degree of its impact on endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) is unclear.Methods We continuously included AIS patients with large artery occlusion who underwent EVT in a comprehensive stroke center before and during the Wuhan shutdown. The protected code stroke (PCS) for screening and treating AIS patients was established during the pandemic. The efficacy and safety outcomes including the rate of successful reperfusion (defined as modified Thrombolysis In Cerebral Infarction (mTICI) graded 2b or 3) and time intervals for reperfusion were compared between two groups: pre-pandemic and pandemic.Results A total of 55 AIS patients who received EVT were included. The baseline characteristics were comparable between the two groups. The time from hospital arrival to puncture (174 vs 125.5 min; p=0.002) and time from hospital arrival to reperfusion (213 vs 172 min; p=0.047) were significantly prolonged in the pandemic group compared with the pre-pandemic group. The rate of successful reperfusion was not significantly different between the two groups (85.7% (n=18) vs 88.2% (n=30); OR 0.971, 95% CI 0.785 to 1.203; p=1.000).Conclusion The results of this study suggest a proper PCS algorithm which combines the COVID-19 screening and protection measures could decrease the impact of the disease on the clinical outcomes of EVT for AIS patients to the lowest extent possible during the pandemic.