BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Giving stroke victims who reside outside communities with hospitals that can administer tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) access to thrombolytic therapy is a challenge. Helicopter transport to a stroke center is a potential way to make rtPA available to these communities. We examined the experience of the Shands-Jacksonville Acute Stroke Transport Program, a field-to-stroke center helicopter transport program that serves rural counties in the northeastern Florida/southeastern Georgia region. METHODS: Prospectively collected data of 111 consecutive helicopter transports to Shands-Jacksonville, from an 11-county region, over a 3-year period were reviewed. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients (76%) had a cerebrovascular event. Forty-seven patients (42%) had an ischemic stroke, 19 (17%) had a transient ischemic attack, and 19 (17%) had a hemorrhagic stroke. Thrombolytic therapy was administered to 18 ischemic stroke patients (38%), with 15 being treated intravenously. Three patients who arrived beyond the 3-hour window were treated intra-arterially. Average field-to-hospital distance for all patients was 29.4 miles (range, 11 to 90 miles). Most patients (n=65) arrived within 135 minutes from symptom onset. CONCLUSIONS: A helicopter-based transport system can link a rural region to a stroke center and promote access to thrombolytic therapy.
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Giving stroke victims who reside outside communities with hospitals that can administer tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) access to thrombolytic therapy is a challenge. Helicopter transport to a stroke center is a potential way to make rtPA available to these communities. We examined the experience of the Shands-Jacksonville Acute Stroke Transport Program, a field-to-stroke center helicopter transport program that serves rural counties in the northeastern Florida/southeastern Georgia region. METHODS: Prospectively collected data of 111 consecutive helicopter transports to Shands-Jacksonville, from an 11-county region, over a 3-year period were reviewed. RESULTS: Eighty-five patients (76%) had a cerebrovascular event. Forty-seven patients (42%) had an ischemic stroke, 19 (17%) had a transient ischemic attack, and 19 (17%) had a hemorrhagic stroke. Thrombolytic therapy was administered to 18 ischemic strokepatients (38%), with 15 being treated intravenously. Three patients who arrived beyond the 3-hour window were treated intra-arterially. Average field-to-hospital distance for all patients was 29.4 miles (range, 11 to 90 miles). Most patients (n=65) arrived within 135 minutes from symptom onset. CONCLUSIONS: A helicopter-based transport system can link a rural region to a stroke center and promote access to thrombolytic therapy.
Authors: Guntram W Ickenstein; M Horn; J Schenkel; B Vatankhah; U Bogdahn; R Haberl; H J Audebert Journal: Neurocrit Care Date: 2005 Impact factor: 3.210
Authors: Benjamin Matosević; Alexandra Zangerle; Martin Furtner; Michael Knoflach; Philipp Werner; Barbara Prantl; Georg Wille; Arne Illmer; Artur Mair; Michael Spiegel; Christoph Schmidauer; Martin Sojer; Armin Muigg; Johann Willeit; Stefan Kiechl Journal: Wien Klin Wochenschr Date: 2009 Impact factor: 1.704