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Nearly 4 in 10 Acute stroke New evidence suggests that urgent hospital treatment appears to be avoided during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States.
Number of people seeking stroke Treatment was reduced by 39% over the two weeks from late March to early April compared to pre-pandemic levels.
“I was very surprised by the magnitude of the decline. One reason hospitals have reduced selective care is the availability of hospital resources to treat COVID-19 and other important conditions such as stroke. Was maintained, ”said lead author Dr. Akash Kansagra. Medscape Medical News..
He added that the decline was “unexpected and alarming.”
Research Published online As a letter to the editor on May 8 New England Medical Journal.
The findings add data to a series of case reports on the significant reduction in stroke patients in New Orleans, Chicago, Seattle, and others. Previously reported Along Medscape Medical News..
“Unlike previous case reports, there is a vast data set representing nearly 250,000 patients across the United States.” Burns Jewish Hospital, St. Louis, Missouri.
From July 1, 2019 to April 27, 2020, investigators analyzed data from 231,753 patients across 856 hospitals across the country. All patients underwent interpreted brain imaging with the help of RAPID software (iSchemaView, Menlo Park, CA). Manufacturers continuously collect results.
Kansagra and colleagues compared the number of people in this neuroimaging database with the number of cases in February 2020 over the 14 days from March 26, 2020 to April 8, 2020.
They found a 39% reduction in February from 1.18 patients per hospital per day seeking acute care to 0.72 per hospital per day.
“What was also quite unexpected was that this decline also affected patients with severe stroke or COVID-19 burdened states,” said University of Washington Radiology, Neurosurgery. , And Kansagra, an associate professor of neurology, said. medicine.
“Before these data were available, many stroke specialists believed that only patients with mild symptoms might be prevented from seeking care,” he said. “Our data shows that this was clearly not the case.”
Researchers have seen a reduction in stroke ratings across all ages, genders, and stroke severity. The findings were retained across different geographical areas and different hospital volumes.
“It’s not just people who have had a mild stroke, young or old,” Kansagra said in a news release. “Even patients with really terrible stroke are seeking care at a reduced rate. This is a widespread and very frightening phenomenon.”
“The message here is that there is a substantial side effect of the COVID-19 pandemic on the care of other acute illnesses such as stroke,” he said. Medscape Medical News.. “Monitoring and responding to these trends will be an important part of how we, as stroke specialists, can minimize the immense impact of COVID-19 in the coming months.”
Global phenomenon
“I think the decline in stroke image ratings in the United States is due to the psychological adverse effects of COVID-19,” said Renyu Liu, MD. Medscape Medical News When asked for a comment.
“We observed a 40% reduction in stroke hospitalization across China,” added Liu, who co-authored a joint study at a press conference. stroke Data on patient loss will also be evaluated.
A similar decline is seen in many countries. This is a global problem, “Professor of Anesthesiology and Critical Care at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, and Director of Stroke 1-2-0. Added Liu. Special task force for the China Stroke Association.
Liu said the findings underscore the importance of patient awareness and education about seeking stroke care, especially during the COVID-19 outbreak.
“Patients are not only tested for potential coronavirus infection, but also assessed for potential stroke and managed in a timely manner to avoid sudden death or dire potential lifelong disability. It is important to reassure the patient, “said Liu.
Liu and colleagues also announced editorial To stroke In March 2020, we outlined the challenges and solutions for stroke care during pandemics.
Although ischemaView provided the data, it played no other role in this unfunded researcher-led research. Kansagra and Liu had no relevant disclosures.
N Engl J Med.. Published May 8, 2020 Online. Full text
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