Berlin PRehospital Or Usual Delivery of Acute Stroke Care

Berlin PRehospital Or Usual Delivery of Acute Stroke Care - Functional Outcomes After Advanced Prehospital Stroke Care

Prehospital stroke care in specialized ambulances increases thrombolysis rates, reduces alarm-to-treatment times, and improves prehospital triage. Preliminary analyses suggest cost-effectiveness. However, scientific proof of improved functional outcome compared to usual care is still lacking. The objective of this trial is to show improved functional outcomes after deployment of the Stroke Emergency Mobile (STEMO) compared to regular care.

This is a pragmatic, prospective, multi-center trial with blinded outcome assessment of treatment candidates three months after stroke. Treatment candidates will be defined as patients with final discharge diagnosis of cerebral ischemia, and onset-to-alarm time ≤4 hours, symptoms not resolved at time of ambulance arrival, and able to walk without assistance prior to emergency. These patients will be included if their emergency call from a predefined catchment area in Berlin, Germany, caused a stroke alarm at the dispatch center during STEMO hours (7am-11pm, Monday-Sunday). About 45% of STEMO dispatches will be handled by regular ambulances since STEMO will be already in operation creating the quasi-randomized control group.

B_PROUD uses data from the B-SPATIAL registry. The B-SPATIAL registry has started recruitment in January 2016. However, B_PROUD recruits patients with symptom onset October 1st, 2016 or later (because data access at the dispatch center had to be established first).

Inclusion criteria:

1. Suspected acute stroke according to the dispatcher stroke identification algorithm during STEMO hours (7am-11pm, Monday-Sunday) and within the STEMO catchment area

   Inclusion criteria for primary study population:

2. Final diagnosis of ischemic stroke (ICD 10: I63) or TIA (ICD 10: G45 except G45.4)

3. Confirmed onset-to-alarm time ≤ 4 hours at dispatch

4. Pre-stroke modified Rankin scale ≤ 3 (being able to ambulate, in routine clinical care, patients with mRS up to 3 are usually deemed suitable for tissue plasminogen activator treatment)

Exclusion criteria:

1. Symptom remission until arrival of emergency medical service

2. Malignant or other severe primary disease with life expectancy < 1 year

   Exclusion criteria for primary study population:

3. Major surgery within 4 weeks before study inclusion

4. Confirmed stroke within 3 months before study inclusion

5. Absolute contraindications for thrombolysis AND thrombectomy