10779/rcsi.10776881.v1 Linda Brewer Linda Brewer Chinedum Arize Chinedum Arize Joan McCormack Joan McCormack David Williams David Williams Delays in the stroke thrombolysis pathway--identifying areas for improvement. Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland 2019 Adult Aged 80 and over Brain Ischemia Critical Care Female Fibrinolytic Agents Humans Male Middle Aged Practice Guidelines as Topic Quality Improvement Radiography Stroke Time-to-Treatment Treatment Outcome Geriatrics and Gerontology 2019-11-22 15:54:54 Journal contribution https://repository.rcsi.com/articles/journal_contribution/Delays_in_the_stroke_thrombolysis_pathway--identifying_areas_for_improvement_/10776881 <p>Despite international consensus on the benefits of thrombolysis for ischaemic stroke (IS), it remains underused. Guidelines now recommend a door-to-needle time of 60 minutes. We reviewed the rate and timeliness of thrombolysis for IS at our hospital. 323 stroke patients presented between January 2011 and April 2012.Thirty patients (10.6% of IS) were thrombolysed, mean age was 68.5 years (42 to 88) and 19 patients (63%) were male. Thirty-six patients (12.7% of IS) were not thrombolysed despite arriving within the time-window and symptom resolution was the commonest reason (15 patients; 42%). Despite most thrombolysed patients (42%) presenting to the Emergency Department during daytime working hours, there were delays at each step of the acute care pathway. The mean time for stroke team review was 23 minutes (5-50). The mean door-to-CT and the door-to-needle times were 60 minutes (25-95) and 92 minutes (46-130) respectively. In parallel with national stroke incentives, local audit can highlight barriers to uptake and efficiency within thrombolysis services.</p>