Control of main risk factors after ischaemic stroke across Europe: data from the stroke-specific module of the EUROASPIRE III survey.

Background: Previous cross-sectional surveys in different European countries within the EUROASPIRE programme demonstrated a high prevalence of modifiable risk factors, unhealthy lifestyles and inadequate drug treatment in coronary heart disease patients. Comparable data for ischaemic stroke patients is lacking.

Methods: A stroke-specific study module was added to the EUROASPIRE III core survey.

Automated real-time text messaging as a means for rapidly identifying acute stroke patients for clinical trials.

Background: Recruiting stroke patients into acute treatment trials is challenging because of the urgency of clinical diagnosis, treatment, and trial inclusion. Automated alerts that identify emergency patients promptly may improve trial performance. The main purposes of this project were to develop an automated real-time text messaging system to immediately inform physicians of patients with suspected stroke and to test its feasibility in the emergency setting.

Variations in quality indicators of acute stroke care in 6 European countries: the European Implementation Score (EIS) Collaboration.

Background And Purpose: Quality indicators serve as standards of care by which performance of individual hospitals is measured. Although several audits for monitoring quality of stroke care have been established in Europe, there is currently no consensus on quality indicators for acute stroke care or for methodology for collecting information on these measures.

Methods: An up-to-date inventory on European stroke audits in place in 2006 was performed in the course of a project funded by the European Union (European Implementation Score Collaboration [EIS]).

Weight approximation in stroke before thrombolysis: the WAIST-Study: a prospective observational "dose-finding" study.

Background And Purpose: Because of the narrow therapeutic range for thrombolysis in stroke, accurate weight-based dosing is essential for efficacy and safety. Stroke patients are frequently incapable to communicate their correct body weight (BW). Thus, dosing is often based on BW estimation, which may lead to dosing errors.

Mechanical ventilation in Guillain-Barré syndrome: does age influence functional outcome?

Purpose: To examine the effects of age on differences in the clinical course and functional outcome of mechanically ventilated Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS) patients.

Methods: 32 consecutive patients with GBS in need of mechanical ventilation were divided into two groups: (1) 15 patients <65 years, and (2) 17 patients >or=65 years. Length of ventilation, therapy, incidence of bulbar involvement, dysautonomia, preceding infections, need for tracheostomy, mortality, and functional outcome at 1-year follow-up using the Hughes outcome scale were analyzed.

Penumbra Stroke System as an "add-on" for the treatment of large vessel occlusive disease following thrombolysis: first results.

The Penumbra Stroke System (PSS) was cleared for use in patients with ischemic stroke by the FDA in January 2008. We describe our experience of using this new system in acute large vessel occlusive disease following thrombolysis. Fifteen consecutive patients (mean age 60 years) suffering from acute ischemic stroke were treated with the PSS after intravenous or intra-arterial standard treatment with tissue plasminogen activator (n = 14) or ReoPro (n = 1).

Acute stroke imaging for thrombolytic therapy--an update.

More than ten years after its approval intravenous thrombolysis with rtPA still is the only approved therapy for acute ischemic stroke. In this review we aim to give an up-to-date overview of acute stroke imaging within and outside of approved indications for thrombolysis. We discuss the potential applications of modern CT techniques such as CT angiography and perfusion CT as well as stroke MRI for the selection-based treatment of acute ischemic stroke.

Introduction of a treatment algorithm can improve the early management of emergency patients in the resuscitation room.

Introduction: Successful management of emergency patients with multiple trauma in the hospital resuscitation room depends on the immediate diagnosis and rapid treatment of the most life-threatening injuries. In order to reduce the time spent in the resuscitation room, an in-hospital algorithm was developed in an interdisciplinary team approach with respect to local structures. The aim of the study was to analyse whether this algorithm affects the interval between hospital admission and the completion of diagnostic procedures and the start of life-saving interventions.