Quality Assurance Monitoring of a Citywide Transportation Protocol Improves Clinical Indicators of Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator Therapy: A Community-based, Longitudinal Study

• Published in: Journal of stroke and cerebrovascular diseases Vol. 24; no. 1; pp. 183 - 188
• Main Authors: Atsumi, Chihiro, MD, Hasegawa, Yasuhiro, MD, Tsumura, Kohtaro, MD, Ueda, Toshihiro, MD, Suzuki, Kazunari, MD, Sugiyama, Makoto, MD, Nozaki, Hiroyuki, MD, Suzuki, Shinichi, MD, Nakane, Makoto, MD, Nagashima, Goro, MD, Kitamura, Takayuki, MD, Nikaido, Hirofumi, MD, Sasanuma, Jinichi, MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 2015
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; alteplase; Ambulances; Cardiovascular; Emergency Medical Services; Female; Fibrinolytic Agents - therapeutic use; Humans; Japan; Longitudinal Studies; Male; Middle Aged; Neurology; plan-do-study-act cycle; Quality Assurance, Health Care - methods; Stroke - drug therapy; stroke scale; Stroke-bypass transportation; Thrombolytic Therapy - methods; Time-to-Treatment; Tissue Plasminogen Activator - therapeutic use; Transportation of Patients - organization & administration; Treatment Outcome; Urban Population; Young Adult; Japan; Stroke-bypass transportation; stroke scale; plan-do-study-act cycle; alteplase
• ISSN: 1052-3057; 1532-8511
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jstrokecerebrovasdis.2014.08.013

Background Stroke-bypass transportation to the stroke center by paramedics is important to maximize the efficiency of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (iv-tPA) therapy. To improve access to stroke thrombolysis, a citywide protocol was launched on January 2007 in Kawasaki City (population 1.4 million) using the Maria Prehospital Stroke Scale (MPSS), and quality assurance monitoring has been performed every 6 months. The aim was to identify whether the citywide quality assurance monitoring improves the process and outcome of iv-tPA therapy. Methods All of the MPSS-based transportation data prospectively recorded by the Kawasaki City Fire Department and the associated clinical data in the 11 hospitals that accept stroke-bypass transfers were merged every 6 months for the quality assurance monitoring. Clinical indicators such as ambulance call-to-door time, onset-to-needle time, door-to-needle time, frequency of thrombolytic use, and outcome of thrombolytic therapy were analyzed. These clinical indicators were also compared between patients transferred on weekdays and on weekends. Results A total of 2049 patients was registered from April 2009 to March 2013. Their mean age was 70.4 ± 13.2 (range, 24-98) years, and 64.3% were male. Ambulance call-to-door time decreased gradually from 37.5 ± 12.5 minutes to 33.9 ± 11.7 minutes over 4 years ( P  = .000, analysis of variance with the post hoc Dunnett test). Onset-to-needle time and door-to-needle time were similar over the 4 years. Good outcome (modified Rankin Scale score <2) after iv-tPA therapy increased from 24.1% to 35.3% ( P  = .045, 2010 vs. 2012). No deleterious effect of weekend admission was observed based on these clinical indicators. Conclusions A citywide MPSS-based transportation protocol significantly decreased the delay in the ambulance call-to-door time. The implementation of standardized cross-institutional quality assurance programs for acute stroke therapy may improve the process and outcome of iv-tPA therapy in the community.