Differential effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on patients presenting to a neurological emergency room depending on their triage score in an area with low COVID-19 incidence.

Background: We analyzed the effects of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic on neurologic emergencies, depending on the patients' triage score in a setting with relatively few COVID-19 cases and without lack of resources.

Methods: Consecutive patients of a tertiary care center with a dedicated neurologic emergency room (nER) were analyzed. The time period of the first lockdown in Germany (calendar weeks 12-17, 2020) was retrospectively compared to the corresponding period in 2019 regarding the number of patients presenting to the nER, the number of patients with specific triage scores (Heidelberg Neurological Triage Score), the number of patients with stroke, and the quality of stroke care.