Thursday, February 09, 2012

Problem lingers: Too many don't get help soon enough

I've posted who-knows-how-many times about the importance of getting help quickly for stroke patients.

Even as the time window for treatment for many stroke patient has expanded over the last several years, researchers have still found that many stroke victims still don't get treated fast enough:
An analysis of about 115,000 patients who had strokes between 2005 and 2010 found that almost 44 percent didn't get to the hospital until more than 4.5 hours after the time they were known to first show symptoms. That's a sign of trouble: it's actually up from 39 percent in 2005.
Meanwhile, the percentage who got to the hospital within two hours fell from 40 percent in 2005 to 35 percent in 2010, another sign that more patients may be in danger from not getting prompt care.
Also, many patients chose to get themselves to the hospital instead of calling an ambulance, "boosting the risk that they won't get there in time to be able to take a clot-busting drug," said study co-author Dr. Mary George, a medical officer with the division for heart disease and stroke prevention at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

1 comment:

oc1dean said...

This is where the stroke medical community has their blinders on. I've heard anywhere from 31-50% success rate on using tPA in the 5% who get it. While that is wonderful for those it works on, as a businessperson I would never be satisfied with something that is only 50% effective. Time is Brain and the sooner a newer and better solution is found the more neurons that can be saved.
Dean