Endovascular treatment for ischemic stroke with the drip-and-ship model-Insights from the German Stroke Registry.

Background: Endovascular therapy (EVT) in acute ischemic stroke has been widely established. Globally, stroke patients are transferred either directly to a thrombectomy center (DC) or a peripheral stroke unit with a "drip-and-ship" (DS) model. We aimed to determine differences between the DS and DC paradigms after EVT of acute stroke patients with large-vessel-occlusion (LVO) in the database of the German Stroke Registry (GSR). Methods: We performed a retrospective analysis of GSR patients between June 2015 and December 2019 in 23 German centers. Primary outcome was an ordinal shift analysis of modified Rankin Scale (mRS) 90 days after index event. Secondary endpoints included time from symptom onset to recanalization and complications. Tertiary endpoint was the association of imaging strategies in DS admissions with outcome. Results: 2,813 patients were included in the DS and 3,819 in the DC group. After propensity score matching mRS after 90 days was higher in DS than DC admissions (OR 1.26; 95%-CI 1.13-1.40). Time from symptom-onset to flow-restoration was shorter in DC than DS (median 199.0 vs. 298.0 min; p < 0.001). DS patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI; n=183) before EVT had a lower 90-day mRS than without (n = 944) (OR 0.63; 95%-CI 0.45-0.88). ASPECTS assessed on MRI correlated with 90-day mRS (ρ = -0.326; p < 0.001). Conclusions: Clinical outcome was worse for EVT-eligible patients in the DS setting, even though patients were in a better state of health prior to stroke. A potentially mutable factor was the time delay of 99 min from symptom-onset to successful recanalization. Performing MRI before thrombectomy was associated with good outcome and MRI-ASPECTS was negatively correlated with mRS after 90 days.

Simulation-based training improves process times in acute stroke care (STREAM).

BACKGROUND: The objective of the STREAM Trial was to evaluate the effect of simulation training on process times in acute stroke care. METHODS: The multicenter prospective interventional STREAM Trial was conducted between 10/2017 and 04/2019 at seven tertiary care neurocenters in Germany with a pre- and post-interventional observation phase. We recorded patient characteristics, acute stroke care process times, stroke team composition and simulation experience for consecutive direct-to-center patients receiving intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or endovascular therapy (EVT). The intervention consisted of a composite intervention centered around stroke-specific in situ simulation training. Primary outcome measure was the 'door-to-needle' time (DTN) for IVT. Secondary outcome measures included process times of EVT and measures taken to streamline the pre-existing treatment algorithm. RESULTS: The effect of the STREAM intervention on the process times of all acute stroke operations was neutral. However, secondary analyses showed a DTN reduction of 5 min from 38 min pre-intervention (interquartile range [IQR] 25-43 min) to 33 min (IQR 23-39 min, p = 0.03) post-intervention achieved by simulation-experienced stroke teams. Concerning EVT, we found significantly shorter door-to-groin times in patients who were treated by teams with simulation experience as compared to simulation-naive teams in the post-interventional phase (-21 min, simulation-naive: 95 min, IQR 69-111 vs. simulation-experienced: 74 min, IQR 51-92, p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: An intervention combining workflow refinement and simulation-based stroke team training has the potential to improve process times in acute stroke care.

Quality assurance data for regional drip-and-ship strategies- gearing up the transfer process.

BACKGROUND: Stroke patients with large vessel occlusion (LVO) require endovascular therapy (EVT) provided by comprehensive stroke centers (CSC). One strategy to achieve fast stroke symptom 'onset to treatment' times (OTT) is the preclinical selection of patients with severe stroke for direct transport to CSC. Another is the optimization of interhospital transfer workflow. Our aim was to investigate the dynamics of the OTT of 'drip-and-ship' patients as well as the current 'door-in-door-out' time (DIDO) and its determinants at representative regional German stroke units. METHODS: We determined the numbers of all EVT treatments, 'drip-and-ship' and 'direct-to-center' patients and their median OTT from the mandatory quality assurance registry of the federal state of Hesse, Germany (2012-2019). Additionally, we captured process time stamps from primary stroke centers (PSC) in a consecutive registry of patients referred for EVT in our regional stroke network over a 3 months period. RESULTS: Along with an increase of the EVT rate, the proportion of drip-and-ship patients grew steadily from 19.4% in 2012 to 31.3% in 2019. The time discrepancy for the median OTT between 'drip-and-ship' and 'direct-to-center' patients continuously declined from 173 to 74 min. The largest share of the DIDO (median 92, IQR 69-110) is spent with the organization of EVT and consecutive patient transfer. CONCLUSIONS: 'Drip-and-ship' patients are an important and growing proportion of stroke patients undergoing EVT. The discrepancy in OTT for EVT between 'drip-and-ship' and 'direct-to-center' patients has been reduced considerably. Further optimization of the DIDO primarily aiming at the processes after the detection of LVO is urgently needed to improve stroke patient care.

Simulation-Based Training of the Rapid Evaluation and Management of Acute Stroke (STREAM)-A Prospective Single-Arm Multicenter Trial.

Introduction: Acute stroke care delivered by interdisciplinary teams is time-sensitive. Simulation-based team training is a promising tool to improve team performance in medical operations. It has the potential to improve process times, team communication, patient safety, and staff satisfaction. We aim to assess whether a multi-level approach consisting of a stringent workflow revision based on peer-to-peer review and 2-3 one-day in situ simulation trainings can improve acute stroke care processing times in high volume neurocenters within a 6 months period. Methods and Analysis: The trial is being carried out in a pre-test-post-test design at 7 tertiary care university hospital neurocenters in Germany. The intervention is directed at the interdisciplinary multiprofessional stroke teams. Before and after the intervention, process times of all direct-to-center stroke patients receiving IV thrombolysis (IVT) and/or endovascular therapy (EVT) will be recorded. The primary outcome measure will be the "door-to-needle" time of all consecutive stroke patients directly admitted to the neurocenters who receive IVT. Secondary outcome measures will be intervention-related process times of the fraction of patients undergoing EVT and effects on team communication, perceived patient safety, and staff satisfaction via a staff questionnaire. Interventions: We are applying a multi-level intervention in cooperation with three "STREAM multipliers" from each center. First step is a central meeting of the multipliers at the sponsor's institution with the purposes of algorithm review in a peer-to-peer process that is recorded in a protocol and an introduction to the principles of simulation training and debriefing as well as crew resource management and team communication. Thereafter, the multipliers cooperate with the stroke team trainers from the sponsor's institution to plan and execute 2-3 one-day simulation courses in situ in the emergency department and CT room of the trial centers whereupon they receive teaching materials to perpetuate the trainings. Clinical Trial Registration: STREAM is a registered trial at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03228251.

Tools for your stroke team: adapting crew-resource management for acute stroke care.

Crew-resource management is an approach to work and training that focuses on non-technical skills and strategies to prevent human error in complex procedures. It was initially termed 'cockpit-resource management' and developed for aviation in the 1970s after several severe accidents; it has contributed to a measurable increase in flight safety. In recent years, this approach has been successfully implemented in other high-reliability environments; surgical disciplines have made particular use of crew-resource management strategies and training, with resulting reduced mortality rates. The stepwise implementation of different crew-resource management strategies in stroke care at our tertiary stroke centre has helped to speed up process times significantly, and to improve patient safety and staff satisfaction. Here, we summarise our experience in adapting different crew-resource management tools to acute stroke care, sharing specific tools that have proven valuable in our hands, and we encourage colleagues to implement such strategies in acute stroke care.

A Network-Wide Stroke Team Program Reduces Time to Treatment for Endovascular Stroke Therapy in a Regional Stroke-Network.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Driven by the positive results of randomized, controlled trials of endovascular stroke therapies (EVT) in stroke patients with large vessel occlusion, different approaches to speed up the workflow for EVT candidates are currently being implemented worldwide. We aimed to assess the effect of a simple stroke network-wide workflow improvement project, primarily focusing on i.v. thrombolysis, on process times for patients undergoing EVT. METHODS: In 2015, we conducted a network-wide, peer-to-peer acute stroke workflow improvement program for i.v. thrombolysis with the main components of implementing a binding team-based algorithm at every stroke unit of the regional network, educating all stroke teams about non-technical skills and providing a stroke-specific simulation training. Before and after the intervention we recorded periprocedural process times, including patients undergoing EVT at the 3 EVT-capable centers (January - June 2015, n = 80 vs. July 2015 - June 2016, n = 184). RESULTS: In this multi-centric evaluation of 268 patients receiving EVT, we observed a relevant shortening of the median time from symptom onset to EVT specifically in patients requiring secondary transfer by almost an hour (300 min, 25-75% interquartile range [IQR] 231-381 min to 254 min, IQR 215.25-341 min; p = 0.117), including a reduction of the median door-to-groin time at the EVT-capable center in this patient group by 15.5 min (59 min, IQR 35-102 min to 43.5 min, IQR 27.75-81.25 min; p = 0.063). In patients directly admitted to an EVT-capable center, the median door-to-groin interval was reduced by 10.5 min (125 min, IQR 83.5-170.5 min to 114.5 min, IQR 66.5-151 min; p = 0.167), but a considerable heterogeneity between the centers was observed (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We show that a simple network-wide workflow improvement program primarily directed at fast i.v. thrombolysis also accelerates process times for EVT candidates and is a promising measure to improve the performance of an entire stroke network.

Implementation of stroke teams and simulation training shortened process times in a regional stroke network-A network-wide prospective trial.

BACKGROUND: To meet the requirements imposed by the time-dependency of acute stroke therapies, it is necessary 1) to initiate structural and cultural changes in the breadth of stroke-ready hospitals and 2) to find new ways to train the personnel treating patients with acute stroke. We aimed to implement and validate a composite intervention of a stroke team algorithm and simulation-based stroke team training as an effective quality initiative in our regional interdisciplinary neurovascular network consisting of 7 stroke units. METHODS: We recorded door-to-needle times of all consecutive stroke patients receiving thrombolysis at seven stroke units for 3 months before and after a 2 month intervention which included setting up a team-based stroke workflow at each stroke unit, a train-the-trainer seminar for stroke team simulation training and a stroke team simulation training session at each hospital as well as a recommendation to take up regular stroke team trainings. RESULTS: The intervention reduced the network-wide median door-to-needle time by 12 minutes from 43,0 (IQR 29,8-60,0, n = 122) to 31,0 (IQR 24,0-42,0, n = 112) minutes (p < 0.001) and substantially increased the share of patients receiving thrombolysis within 30 minutes of hospital arrival from 41.5% to 59.6% (p < 0.001). Stroke team training participants stated a significant increase in knowledge on the topic of acute stroke care and in the perception of patient safety. The overall course concept was regarded as highly useful by most participants from different professional backgrounds. CONCLUSIONS: The composite intervention of a binding team-based algorithm and stroke team simulation training showed to be well-transferable in our regional stroke network. We provide suggestions and materials for similar campaigns in other stroke networks.

Diagnostic value of prehospital ECG in acute stroke patients.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the diagnostic yield of prehospital ECG monitoring provided by emergency medical services in the case of suspected stroke. METHODS: Consecutive patients with acute stroke admitted to our tertiary stroke center via emergency medical services and with available prehospital ECG were prospectively included during a 12-month study period. We assessed prehospital ECG recordings and compared the results to regular 12-lead ECG on admission and after continuous ECG monitoring at the stroke unit. RESULTS: Overall, 259 patients with prehospital ECG recording were included in the study (90.3% ischemic stroke, 9.7% intracerebral hemorrhage). Atrial fibrillation (AF) was detected in 25.1% of patients, second-degree or greater atrioventricular block in 5.4%, significant ST-segment elevation in 5.0%, and ventricular ectopy in 9.7%. In 18 patients, a diagnosis of new-onset AF with direct clinical consequences for the evaluation and secondary prevention of stroke was established by the prehospital recordings. In 2 patients, the AF episodes were limited to the prehospital period and were not detected by ECG on admission or during subsequent monitoring at the stroke unit. Of 126 patients (48.6%) with relevant abnormalities in the prehospital ECG, 16.7% received medical antiarrhythmic therapy during transport to the hospital, and 6.4% were transferred to a cardiology unit within the first 24 hours in the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: In a selected cohort of patients with stroke, the in-field recordings of the ECG detected a relevant rate of cardiac arrhythmia. The results can add to the in-hospital evaluation and should be considered in prehospital care of acute stroke.

Early Initiation of Anticoagulation with Direct Oral Anticoagulants in Patients after Transient Ischemic Attack or Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are increasingly used for secondary prevention of cardioembolic stroke. While DOACs are associated with a long-term reduced risk of intracranial hemorrhage compared to vitamin K antagonists, pivotal trials avoided the very early period after stroke and few data exist on early initiation of DOAC therapy post stroke. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed data from our prospective database of all consecutive transient ischemic attack (TIA) or ischemic stroke patients with atrial fibrillation treated with DOACs during hospital stay. As per our institutional treatment algorithm for patients with cardioembolic ischemia DOACs are started immediately in TIA and minor stroke (group 1), within days 3-5 in patients with infarcts affecting one third or less of the middle cerebral artery, the anterior cerebral artery, or the posterior cerebral artery territories (group 2) as well as in infratentorial stroke (group 3) and after 1-2 weeks in patients with large infarcts (>⅓MCA territory, group 4). We investigated baseline characteristics, time to initiation of DOAC therapy after symptom onset, and hemorrhagic complications. RESULTS: In 243 included patients, administration of DOAC was initiated 40.5 hours (interquartile range [IQR] 23.0-65.5) after stroke onset in group 1 (n = 41) and after 76.7 hours (IQR 48.0-134.0), 108.4 hours (IQR 67.3-176.4), and 161.8 hours (IQR 153.9-593.8) in groups 2-4 (n = 170, 28, and 4), respectively. Two cases of asymptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (.8%) and 1 case of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (.4%) were observed, both in group 2. CONCLUSIONS: No severe safety issues were observed in early initiation of DOACs for secondary prevention after acute stroke in our in-patient cohort.

Repeated Intravenous Thrombolysis for Early Recurrent Stroke: Challenging the Exclusion Criterion.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) within 4.5 hours from symptom onset improves functional outcome in patients with acute ischemic stroke. Its use in patients with previous stroke within the preceding 3 months is contraindicated because of the assumed higher risk of intracranial hemorrhage. In addition, tissue-type plasminogen activator may itself promote neurotoxicity and blood-brain barrier disruption. However, safety and effectiveness of repeated IVT is essentially unknown in patients with early (<3 months) recurrent stroke (ERS), because they were excluded from thrombolysis trials. This article reports the largest case series of repeated IVT in ERS. METHODS: We reviewed databases of prospectively collected patient data of 8 European stroke centers for the presence of patients with ERS, who received IVT for both the index stroke and ERS. Demographics, clinical and radiological data, bleeding complications, and functional outcome were analyzed. RESULTS: We identified 19 subjects with repeated IVT in ERS. Mean age was 68±12 years, and 37% of them were female. Median interthrombolysis interval was 30 days (interquartile range, 13-50). Functional independence (modified Rankin scale score ≤2) was achieved in 79% of patients after the first and in 47.4% after repeated IV tissue-type plasminogen activator, respectively. There was no symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Median final infarct volume after the first IVT was 1.5 cm(3) (interquartile range, 0.5-3.1). CONCLUSIONS: Patients with small infarct volumes and robust clinical improvement might be considered for repeated IVT within 3 months. Studies following strict protocols and larger registries incorporating these patients might serve to identify selection criteria for the safe use of repeated IVT in ERS.

Clinical and radiological outcome after mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke: What matters?

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have shown the efficacy of mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke. We sought to identify prognostic parameters for clinical and radiological outcome after mechanical thrombectomy. METHODS: In 34 patients (age 72 ± 13 years, 64.7% women) with acute occlusion of the distal ICA and/or M1 segment who were treated with mechanical thrombectomy, the Spearman correlation was performed to assess potential prognostic outcome parameters (age, NIHSS, ASPECT, thrombus length (TL), clot burden score (CBS), relative filling time delay (rFTD), time to recanalization (TTR) and TICI score). The modified Rankin scale (mRS) and the Alberta Stroke Program Early CT (ASPECT) score were used for clinical and radiological outcome, respectively. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to assess parameters predicting favorable clinical (ΔmRS ≤ 2) and radiological outcome (ΔASPECT ≤ 2). RESULTS: Variables associated with favorable clinical outcome included NIHSS, TL, TTR and TICI score (p ≤ 0.01) with NIHSS ≤ 15 (p = 0.001, area under the curve (AUC) 0.87), TL ≤ 2 cm (p = 0.017, AUC 0.75), TTR ≤ 231 min (p = 0.001 AUC 0.88) and TICI ≥ 2b (p = 0.050, AUC 0.70). Shorter TTR and higher TICI scores were associated with favorable radiological outcome (p < 0.001) with TTR ≤ 224 min (p = 0.023, AUC 0.77) and TICI ≥ 2b (p = 0.000, AUC 0.86). CONCLUSION: Fast and complete recanalization is essential to achieve a favorable radiological and functional outcome after mechanical thrombectomy in acute ischemic stroke. Age, CBS and collateral supply play a subordinate role.

Dabigatran Plasma Levels in Acute Cerebrovascular Events.

BACKGROUND: Oral anticoagulation with dabigatran was shown to be effective for stroke prevention in patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation without the need for laboratory monitoring. However, a recent publication based on data of the Randomized Evaluation of Long-Term Anticoagulation Therapy study reported that ischemic stroke and bleeding outcomes are correlated with dabigatran plasma concentration (DPC). DPC was determined at a prespecified time point and correlated with cardiovascular events at any time during follow-up. Because of the known variability of DPC, among others depending on renal function, this approach might compromise data evaluation. We report on dabigatran plasma levels in acute cerebrovascular events. METHODS: Consecutive patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) while taking dabigatran were retrospectively identified if admission DPC was available. DPC was determined using the diluted thrombin time (Hemoclot (HYPHEN BioMed, Neuville sur Oise, France)). Creatinine clearance (CrCl) was determined by measuring creatinine in plasma and 24-hour urine. RESULTS: Fifteen AIS and 4 ICH patients were included. Median DPC on admission was significantly higher in ICH patients than in AIS patients (135 ng/mL [interquartile range {IQR} 79-218] and 69.1 ng/mL [IQR 20.6-85.0], respectively; P = .035). Increased CrCl (values above published normal range) was correlated with lower median DPC (60 ng/mL [IQR 10-69] versus 100 ng/mL [IQR 79-157] in patients with normal CrCl, P = .01). CONCLUSIONS: Higher DPC was found in ICH patients than in AIS patients in temporal proximity to the event. Both decreased and increased renal functions seem to have an important influence on DPC.

Limited versus Whole-Brain Perfusion for the Indication of Thrombolysis in the Extended Time Window of Acute Cerebral Ischemia.

BACKGROUND: Perfusion computed tomography (PCT) has emerged as alternative to magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for assessment of patients clinically qualifying for off-label thrombolysis within 4.5 to 9 hours after onset of ischemic stroke. However, disadvantage of PCT is its often limited anatomic coverage with only 2 or 3 slices when using a 4- to 64-section scanner. Our purpose was therefore to evaluate the value of 2- and 3-slice perfusion compared to whole-brain perfusion. METHODS: One hundred twenty-five patients undergoing MRI beyond 4.5 hours after symptom onset with supratentorial perfusion deficit were selected retrospectively. Accordingly to PCT slice positioning, 2 or 3 slices of the whole-brain perfusion weighted imaging data set were depicted. Volumes of infarct (using cerebral blood volume) and penumbra (using time-to-peak and cerebral blood volume) were calculated, and results were compared with 2- and 3-slice-derived volumes, respectively. RESULTS: Whole-brain imaging revealed a mismatch of more than 20% in 68.8% of patients (defined as 100%). Two-slice imaging detected a perfusion deficit in 72% and a mismatch in 48.8% (sensitivity = 70.9%). Three-slice imaging detected a perfusion deficit in 76% and a mismatch in 50.4% (sensitivity = 73.3%). Although there was no significant difference between 2- and 3-slice imaging (P > .23), both techniques revealed significantly less patients with mismatch compared to whole-brain coverage (P < .01). CONCLUSIONS: Two- and 3-slice imaging like obtained with PCT on most installed CT systems to assess perfusion deficits with subsequent mismatch calculation in acute stroke outside the 4.5-hour time window is significantly inferior to whole-brain coverage and, hence, has to be considered as a less-than-ideal solution.

Impact of heart rate dynamics on mortality in the early phase after ischemic stroke: a prospective observational trial.

BACKGROUND: Growing evidence suggests that the heart rate (HR) at rest is an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality. In ischemic stroke, continuous monitoring of HR is the standard of care, but systematic data on its dynamics and prognostic value during the acute phase are limited. METHODS: In this prospective observational study, HR was measured by continuous electrocardiographic monitoring on admission and during the first 72 hours of care among patients who were awake with ischemic stroke and survived until discharge. Functional outcome was assessed after 90 days. RESULTS: Data from 702 consecutive patients were analyzed (median age, 73 years, 54% men). The time course of HR was initially characterized by a rapid decline during the first 12 hours after admission. Among patients who survived until day 90, this was followed by a continuous downward trend in HR, whereas death after discharge was associated with a secondary increase and a reversal point 12 hours after admission. After adjustment for established risk factors, this secondary increase during the acute period was an independent predictor of death (hazard ratio, 3.73; 95% confidence interval, 1.47-9.43; P = .005). CONCLUSIONS: A secondary rise of HR during care for acute ischemic stroke is an early sign of fatality and may represent a surrogate for an unfavorable sympathetic disinhibition. Further research is warranted to clarify the role of targeted HR reduction after ischemic stroke (http://clinicaltrials.gov/, unique identifier NCT01858779).

Prevalence and impact on outcome of electrocardiographic early repolarization patterns among stroke patients: a prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Early repolarization pattern (ER) gained attention as a risk factor for ventricular arrhythmia and sudden cardiac death in the general population. While electrocardiographic abnormalities are frequent findings in stroke patients, data on ER pattern in this population are lacking. METHODS: We assessed the prevalence of ER pattern in consecutive acute stroke patients at a tertiary stroke center. Functional outcome after 90 days was analyzed to determine the effect of an ER pattern on mortality. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to identify factors associated with an ER pattern. RESULTS: Out of 1141 consecutive stroke patients 771 patients remained for analysis after application of exclusion criteria. ER was observed in 62 (8.04%) patients. ER was more prevalent among subjects with intracerebral and subarachnoidal hemorrhage (13.0%) than among patients with ischemic stroke (7.0%; p = 0.024). Multiple regression analysis revealed QRS-duration (OR 0.972 95% CI 0.950-0.994, p = 0.012), QT-duration (OR 1.009, 95% CI 1.004-1.014, p = 0.001) and mechanical ventilation on admission (OR 0.320, 95% CI 0.136-0.752, p = 0.009) as independent predictors for ER. Overall ER on admission was not associated with increased mortality at 3-month follow-up (ER 11.3% vs. non-ER 9.2%; p = 0.582). CONCLUSIONS: ER is frequently found among patients with acute cerebrovascular events and is more prevalent in patients with hemorrhagic compared to ischemic events. Our study yields no evidence that ER is associated with worse outcome or mortality after stroke.

Reliability and limitations of automated arrhythmia detection in telemetric monitoring after stroke.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Guidelines recommend continuous ECG monitoring in patients with cerebrovascular events. Studies on intensive care units (ICU) demonstrated high sensitivity but high rates of false alarms of monitoring systems resulting in desensitization of medical personnel potentially endangering patient safety. Data on patients with acute stroke are lacking. METHODS: One-hundred fifty-one consecutive patients with acute cerebrovascular events were prospectively included. Automatically identified arrhythmia events were analyzed by manual ECG analysis. Muting of alarms was registered. Sensitivity was evaluated by beat-to-beat analysis of the entire recorded ECG data in a subset of patients. Ethics approval was obtained by University of Erlangen-Nuremberg. RESULTS: A total of 4809.5 hours of ECG registration and 22 509 alarms were analyzed. The automated detection algorithm missed no events but the overall rate of false alarms was 27.4%. Only 0.6% of all alarms indicated acute life-threatening events and 91.4% of these alarms were incorrect. Transient muting of acoustic alarms was observed in 20.5% patients. CONCLUSIONS: Continuous ECG monitoring using automated arrhythmia detection is highly sensitive in acute stroke. However, high rates of false alarms and alarms without direct therapeutic consequence cause desensitization of personnel. Therefore, acoustic alarms may be limited to life-threatening events but standardized manual evaluation of all alarms should complement automated systems to identify clinically relevant arrhythmias.

Peripheral pulse measurement after ischemic stroke: A feasibility study.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate feasibility and diagnostic accuracy of measurement of the peripheral pulse (MPP) at the radial artery as a simple, noninvasive screening tool for paroxysmal atrial fibrillation (pAF) in patients after acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: Two hundred fifty-six patients with acute ischemic stroke and the patients' relatives at a tertiary stroke center were prospectively included. Participants were instructed for characteristics of atrial fibrillation (AF) in MPP using standardized educational material. Measurements of participants as well as a health care professional were then compared with simultaneous blinded ECG to evaluate diagnostic accuracy parameters. RESULTS: MPP by the health care professional or patients' relatives had a diagnostic sensitivity of 96.5% and 76.5%, respectively, with 94.0% and 92.9% specificity for the detection of AF. Self-measurements were reliably performed by 89.1% of competent patients with a diagnostic sensitivity of 54.1% and 96.2% specificity. False-positive results were limited to 6 cases (2.7%) with a positive predictive value of 76.9% and a negative predictive value of 90.0%. CONCLUSION: With a low rate of false-positive results, MPP offers an easy, ubiquitously available, noninvasive, first-step screening tool to guide ECG diagnostics for pAF after ischemic stroke. The data warrant a prospective trial evaluating the efficacy of MPP-guided ECG diagnostics in secondary prevention after stroke, which is now underway. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This study provides Class I evidence that MPP by patients or relatives accurately distinguishes AF from normal heart rhythm as compared with continuous ECG.