Shortening Door-to-Needle Time by Multidisciplinary Collaboration and Workflow Optimization During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVES: This study aims to evaluate shortening door-to-needle time of intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator of acute ischemic stroke patients by multidisciplinary collaboration and workflow optimization based on our hospital resources. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included patients undergoing thrombolysis with intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator from January 1, 2018, to September 30, 2020. Patients were divided into pre- (January 1, 2018, to December 31, 2019) and post-intervention groups (January 1, 2020, to September 31, 2020). We conducted multi-department collaboration and process optimization by implementing 16 different measures in prehospital, in-hospital, and post-acute feedback stages for acute ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous thrombolysis. A comparison of outcomes between both groups was analyzed. RESULTS: Two hundred and sixty-three patients received intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator in our hospital during the study period, with 128 and 135 patients receiving treatment in the pre-intervention and post-intervention groups, respectively. The median (interquartile range) door-to-needle time decreased significantly from 57.0 (45.3-77.8) min to 37.0 (29.0-49.0) min. Door-to-needle time was shortened to 32 min in the post-intervention period in the 3rd quarter of 2020. The door-to-needle times at the metrics of ≤ 30 min, ≤ 45 min, ≤ 60 min improved considerably, and the DNT> 60 min metric exhibited a significant reduction. CONCLUSIONS: A multidisciplinary collaboration and continuous process optimization can result in overall shortened door-to-needle despite the challenges incurred by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Carotid Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Following Cervical Chiropractic Manipulation: Two Case Reports.

OBJECTIVE: Patients can be at risk of carotid artery dissection and ischemic stroke after cervical chiropractic manipulation. However, such risks are rarely reported and raising awareness can increase the safety of chiropractic manipulations. CASE REPORT: We present two middle-aged patients with carotid artery dissection leading to ischemic stroke after receiving chiropractic manipulation in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. Both patients had new-onset pain in their necks after receiving chiropractic manipulations. Excess physical force during chiropractic manipulation may present a risk to patients. Patient was administered with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator after radiological diagnoses. They were prescribed 100 mg and clopidogrel 75 mg daily for 3 months as dual antiplatelet therapy. There were no complications over the follow-up period. CONCLUSION: These cases suggest that dissection of the carotid artery can occur as the result of chiropractic manipulations. Patients should be diagnosed and treated early to achieve positive outcomes. The safety of chiropractic manipulations should be increased by raising awareness about the potential risks.

[Dandelion clock-like sign on CT for diagnose of COVID-19].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the value of the "dandelion clock-like" sign on chest CT for diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2-associated pneumonia. METHODS: This retrospective analysis was conducted based on the data of 119 cases from the Department of Fever and the Department of Infection undergoing chest high-resolution CT examinations in Sanshui District People's Hospital between January, 24 and February 10, 2020. The cases with no abnormality on chest CT were excluded. Twenty-three patients were diagnosed to have pneumonia, including 9 with SARS-CoV-2-associated pneumonia and 14 with other types of pneumonia. We comparatively analyzed the CT signs, location of the lesions and the dandelion clock-like sign among different types of pneumonia. RESULTS: Among the 23 patients with pneumonia, 9 (39.1%) had common or severe SARS-CoV-2- associated pneumonia with a positive epidemiological history and corresponding respiratory symptoms. Seven of the SARSCoV-2-associated pneumonia patients had multiple lesions in bilateral lungs, compromising mainly the lung field and the subpleural area and showing patchy, lumpy, and umbrella-shaped ground glass opacity, often accompanied by pulmonary vascular thickening and increased microvessels, interlobular septal thickening and fibrosis and lined with grid-like and small-bubble-like "crazy-paving" patterns. The dandelion clock-like sign was found in all the 9 patients with SARSCoV-2-associated pneumonia, with a total of 46 lesions (60.5%, 76 total lesions); 9 of the lesions presented with a "dandelion clek-like" sign and 37 with a "dandelion seed sign". These signs were not found in the 14 patients with other types of pneumonia. CONCLUSIONS: The dandelion clock-like sign is a common and characteristic chest CT finding in patients with SARS-CoV-2-associated pneumonia, and can help to distinguish SARS-CoV-2-associated pneumonia from other types of pneumonia.