Barriers to and facilitators for making emergency calls - a qualitative interview study of stroke patients and witnesses.

Background And Objectives: Early access to hospital for diagnosis and treatment is strongly recommended for patients with acute stroke. Unfortunately, prehospital delay frequently occurs. The aim of the current study was to gain in-depth insight into patient experience and behavior in the prehospital phase of a stroke.

Lyme neuroborreliosis: do we treat according to guidelines?

Evidence-based guidelines, published in 2010, equate the efficacy of oral and intravenous antibiotics and recommend treatment duration of 2 weeks in early Lyme neuroborreliosis (LNB) without encephalitis or myelitis. Further, the Norwegian health authorities give a general advice to choose oral rather than intravenous administration when proven effective, due to lower costs, fewer risks, and reduced patient inconvenience. In this study we aimed to chart LNB treatment practice in Norway and compare it to these recommendations.

A pragmatic approach to sonothrombolysis in acute ischaemic stroke: the Norwegian randomised controlled sonothrombolysis in acute stroke study (NOR-SASS).

Background: Ultrasound accelerates thrombolysis with tPA (sonothrombolysis). Ultrasound in the absence of tPA also accelerates clot break-up (sonolysis). Adding intravenous gaseous microbubbles may potentiate the effect of ultrasound in both sonothrombolysis and sonolysis.

A qualitative description of telemedicine for acute stroke care in Norway: technology is not the issue.

Background: To assist small hospitals in providing advanced stroke treatment, the Norwegian Directorate of Health has recommended telemedicine services. Telestroke enables specialists to examine patients via videoconferencing supplemented by teleradiology and to provide decision support to local health care personnel. There is evidence that telestroke increases thrombolysis rates.