Response times, reperfusion treatments and outcomes by EMDC action
| EMDC stroke suspicion on ambulance dispatch Total No. (%) 481 (62%) | No EMDC stroke suspicion on ambulance dispatch Total No. (%) 290 (38%) | P value | |
| EMS ambulance on-scene time, minutes (IQR) | 11 (7–17) n=453 | 15 (8–23) n=266 | <0.001†§ |
| Door to Needle, minutes (IQR) | 23 (14–37) n=200 | 31 (17–45) n=65 | 0.023†§ |
| EMS total prehospital time, minutes (IQR) | 40 (30–55) n=463 | 49 (29–82) n=282 | <0.001†§ |
| Door to Groin, minutes (IQR) including initial hospital admission both to PSC and CSC | 65 (53–108) n=52 | 85 (62–285) n=23 | 0.001†§ |
| Response time, minutes (IQR) | 12 (8–17) n=467 | 12 (5–23) n=275 | 0.46† |
| Alert time, minutes (IQR) | 2 (2–4) n=412 | 3 (2–8) n=213 | <0.001†§ |
| Last known well, hours (IQR) | 2 (1–9) n=465 | 5 (1–15) n=248 | 0.007†§ |
| Patients with prehospital FAST symptoms on-scene, n | 377 (79%) | 198 (70%) | <0.001ठ|
| Ambulance dispatch emergency grade*, n | Red priority 462 (96%) Yellow priority 18 (4%) Green priority 1 (<1%) | Red priority 196 (68%) Yellow priority 81 (28%) Green priority 13 (<5%) | <0.001ठ|
| IVT rate, n | 200 (42%) | 65 (22%) | 0.002ठ|
| EVT rates, n | 52 (12%) | 23 (8%) | 0.19‡ |
| mRS 0–2, n | 240 (61%) | 160 (66%) | 0.24‡ |
| mRS 6, n | 45 (11%) | 29 (11%) | 0.53‡ |
Presentation of time metrics, degree of reperfusion treatment and outcomes of patients with and without EMDC stroke suspicion ambulance dispatch code. The EMDC performs assessment of stroke suspicion using the Norwegian-modified Medical Priority Dispatch System (MPDS). Pearson χ2 test was performed on categorical variables and non-parametric Mann-Whitney U test on continuous variables.
*In the Norwegian EMDCs, the three levels of emergency dispatch are acute, urgent and routine with their own colour codes (red, yellow and green).
†Mann Whitney U test.
‡Pearson χ2 test.
§p<0.05 points to statistical significance.
Alert time, time from start EMDC call to ambulance dispatch; EMDC, Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre; EMS on-scene time, time from start EMDC call to hospital arrival; EMS total prehospital time, time from start EMDC call to hospital admission; IVT, intravenous thrombolysis; Last known well, Time from symptom start to hospital admission; mRS 0-2, functional independent outcome three months post the stroke event; mRS 6, mortality outcome within three months post the stroke event; mRS, modified Rankin Scale score three months prior to the stroke event. We had follow-up data on 392 (81%) patients in the stroke suspicion group and 243 (84%) in the non-stroke suspicion group; Response time, time from start EMDC call to ambulance on-scene arrival.