Comparison of Telemedicine-Administered Thrombolytic Therapy for Acute Ischemic Stroke by Neurology Subspecialty: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background and Purpose

To determine if any difference exists in safety and outcomes of thrombolytic therapy for acute ischemic stroke administered via telemedicine, based on the subspeciality of the treating neurologist.

Methods

We performed a retrospective cross-sectional study using data from our local stroke registry of thrombolytic therapy administered via telemedicine at our rural stroke network over 5 years. The cohort was divided in 2 groups based on the subspecialty of the treating neurologist: vascular neurology (VN) and neurocritical care (NCC). Demographics, clinical characteristics, stroke metrics, thrombolytic complications, and final diagnosis were reviewed. In-hospital mortality and mRS and 30 days were noted.

Results

Among 142 patients who received thrombolytic therapy via telemedicine, 44 (31%) were treated by VN specialists; 98 (69%) by NCC specialist. There was no difference in baseline characteristics and stroke metrics between the 2 groups. Compared to NCC, VN had a trend toward higher, but non-significant, sICH (6% vs 1%,

Conclusions

Safety and outcome of thrombolytic therapy via telemedicine was not influenced by the subspecialty of treating neurologist. Our study supports the expansion of telemedicine for acute stroke patients in rural and underserved areas.

Informations de copyright

© The Author(s) 2024.

Déclaration de conflit d'intérêts

The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.