Weekday Versus Weekend Presentation in the Acute Management of Ischemic Stroke Through Telemedicine.

A "weekend effect" resulting in higher mortality rates for patients with stroke admitted on weekends has been reported. We examine this phenomenon for patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) presenting to telestroke (TS) sites to determine its effect on stroke alert process times and outcomes. From October 2015 to June 2017, we reviewed patients with AIS receiving intravenous alteplase within our TS network.

Antimicrobial stewardship: Staff nurse knowledge and attitudes.

Background: Registered nurses are uniquely qualified to augment antimicrobial stewardship (AS) processes. However, the role of nursing in AS needs further development. More information is needed regarding gaps in registered nurse knowledge, attitudes toward AS, and how infection preventionists can help.

Endovascular aspiration to treat acute ischemic stroke caused by embolic carcinoma.

Although cardiac myxomas have been known to cause acute ischemic stroke and other cerebrovascular complications, intracranial embolization of metastatic tumor fragments is rare. This is likely because venous emboli generally cause pulmonary embolism. Pulmonary vein metastases and patent foramen ovales have previously shown to propagate intracranial embolic carcinomas, but these events are very uncommon, and are not well characterized.

Prevalence of atrial fibrillation with insertable cardiac monitors in cryptogenic stroke: A single-center experience.

Background: The use of insertable cardiac monitors (ICM) has increased the rate of detection of atrial fibrillation (AF) among cryptogenic stroke (CS) patients. We describe a single-center experience for AF detection among CS patients receiving ICMs upon discharge after the index stroke event and attempt to identify predictors for AF detection.

Methods: From April 2014 to October 2017, patients receiving ICMs for CS who underwent >60 days of monitoring were reviewed.

Real-world treatment of large vessel occlusions: combined outcomes of directly presenting and transferred-in patients to a stroke center.

Background Stroke patients transferred in for endovascular treatment (ET) may have lower chances for favorable outcomes compared to those who presented directly to a ET-capable hospital. We describe our real-world experience of ET in AIS, especially among patients transferred in. Materials and methods AIS patients receiving ET from January 2015 to November 2016 were reviewed.

The Door to Needle Time Metric Can Be Achieved via Telestroke.

The administration of intravenous (IV) alteplase to patients with stroke via telestroke (TS) can be safe and effective. It remains unclear how quickly IV alteplase occurs during TS evaluations. We sought to compare door to needle times (DNTs) between patients receiving IV alteplase who present directly to our comprehensive stroke center (CSC) and those presenting to community hospitals in our TS network.

Thrombolytic treatment to stroke mimic patients via telestroke.

Objective: The safety and outcomes of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) to stroke patients via telestroke (TS) is similar to those presenting to stroke centers. Little is known on the accuracy of TS diagnosis among those receiving IVT. We sought to compare the rate of patients receiving IVT with diagnosis of ischemic stroke as opposed to stroke mimic (SM) in our TS network to those who presented to our comprehensive stroke center (CSC).

Diffuse idiopathic intracranial fusiform aneurysm development. Case report and literature review.

Background: Fusiform intracranial aneurysms (FIAs) are uncommon lesions representing less than 15% of all intracranial aneurysms in most large series. Their etiology has been linked to a variety of causes including atherosclerosis, fibromuscular dysplasia, cystic medial necrosis, connective tissue disease, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, infection, cardiac myxoma, oral contraceptive use, vasculitis, and lymphoproliferative disorders. The finding of numerous lesions in a single patient is distinctly uncommon.

Implementing a stroke system of care in a rural hospital: a case report from Granite Falls.

Acute stroke is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality. Both time-sensitive treatment and telemedicine are being used to improve the care of stroke patients in rural areas. This article highlights the case of a 62-year-old male patient with sudden onset of right-sided hemiparesis and a family history of vascular disease and how he was treated at a rural hospital that was connected by telemedicine technology to an urban tertiary care center.

The clinical effectiveness of Movicol in children with severe constipation: an outcome audit.

This audit reviewed the clinical effectiveness of polyethylene glycol 3350 plus electrolytes (PEG+E, Movicol) in the management of severe paediatric constipation. A seven-day disimpaction regimen was initiated followed by a maintenance dose as appropriate. An information and support service was provided by the community children's nursing team (CCNT) at Darent Valley Hospital.

A community-based intervention for siblings and parents of children with chronic illness or disability: the ISEE study.

Objective: Siblings of children with chronic illness or disability have been reported to have a 1.6 to 2.0 risk for behavioral and mental health problems.

Interrelationships among variables affecting well siblings and mothers in families of children with a chronic illness or disability.

A structural equation model (SEM) examined interrelationships among psychosocial variables known to affect the health and development of well siblings and parents when a child with a chronic illness or disability is a member of the family. Using dyads of 252 well children and parents, socioeconomic status (SES) and family cohesion were associated with the parent-reported behavior of the well sibling. SES also influenced the mood of the mother that in turn influenced family cohesion.

Markers of increased risk of intracerebral hemorrhage after intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator therapy for acute ischemic stroke in clinical practice: the Multicenter rt-PA Stroke Survey.

Background: Intravenous recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) is an effective therapy for acute ischemic stroke, but it is associated with risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Our aim was to identify, in a large cohort of patients, readily available baseline factors that are associated with thrombolysis-related ICH.

Methods And Results: In a multicenter retrospective and prospective investigation of individual data from 1205 patients treated in routine clinical practice with intravenous rtPA within 3 hours of stroke symptom onset, 72 patients (6%) developed symptomatic ICH and 86 additional patients (7%) had asymptomatic ICH identified on a routine follow-up CT.