Care Process of Recanalization Therapy for Acute Stroke during the COVID-19 Outbreak in South Korea.
Journal of clinical neurology (Seoul, Korea) · 2021-01-01 · Registry study
Abstract
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: We aimed to determine whether the care process and outcomes in patients with acute stroke who received recanalization therapy changed during the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in South Korea. METHODS: We used data from a prospective multicenter reperfusion therapy registry to compare the care process-including the time from symptom onset to treatment, number of treated patients, and discharge disposition-and treatment outcomes between before and during the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea. RESULTS: Upon the COVID-19 outbreak in South Korea, the number of patients receiving endovascular treatment to decrease temporarily but considerably. The use of emergency medical services by stroke patients increased from 91.5% before to 100.0% during the COVID-19 outbreak (p=0.025), as did the median time from symptom onset to hospital visit [median (interquartile range), 91.0 minutes (39.8-277.0) vs. 176.0 minutes (56.0-391.5), p=0.029]. Furthermore, more functionally dependent patients with disabilities were discharged home (59.5% vs. 26.1%, p=0.020) rather than staying in a regional or rehabilitation hospital. In contrast, there were no COVID-19-related changes in the times from the hospital visit to brain imaging and treatment or in the functional outcome, successful recanalization rate, or rate of symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that a prehospital delay occurred during the COVID-19 outbreak, and that patients with acute stroke might have been reluctant to visit and stay in hospitals. Our findings indicate that attention should be paid to prehospital care and the behavior of patients with acute stroke during the COVID-19 outbreak.
Abstract © the authors or publisher, via PubMed. Reuse and removal
Tags
COVID-19 pandemic · Time intervals
Related articles
- Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Prehospital Emergency Care for Adults with Stroke and Transient Ischaemic Attack: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. (Prehosp Emerg Care, 2024)
- A Decade of Transformation in Stroke Care in South Korea (2013-2023): Increasing Ambulance Use but Persistent Prehospital Delay and Reversing Mortality Trends. (J Stroke, 2026)
- Navigating Acute Stroke: Perspectives from Survivors, Caregivers, and Healthcare Professionals in Ireland During COVID-19: A Qualitative Study. (J Multidiscip Healthc, 2025)
- Effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on advanced life support units' prehospital management of the stroke code in four Spanish regions: an observational study. (BMC Emerg Med, 2023)
- Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute stroke care: An analysis of the 24-month data from a comprehensive stroke center in Shanghai, China. (CNS Neurosci Ther, 2023)
- Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke during the COVID-19 Pandemic-Polish Single-Center Retrospective Cohort Study. (Life (Basel), 2022)