Some notable characteristics of these patients compared with those who received tPA after 1 hour from their arrival included a higher rate of arrival during the hours 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday; more severe strokes with greater neurologic deficits; and patients who had a more prolonged time reaching the hospital after symptom onset. Patients who were older, blacks, and women were significantly less likely to get timely treatment with tPA.
Hospital factors that significantly linked with tPA treatment within an hour of arrival included sites that treated a higher volume of patients with intravenous tPA, larger hospitals, academic hospitals, and designated primary stroke centers.
Concurrent with Dr. Fonarow’s report, the results were published online (Circulation 2011 Feb. 10 [doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.110.974675]).
Dr. Fonarow said that he has been a consultant to Pfizer, Merck, Schering Plough, Bristol Myers Squibb, and Sanofi-Aventis. He is an employee of the University of California, which holds a patent on retriever devices for treating acute stroke.
* The incorrect number of minutes was reported in an earlier version of this story. The error has been corrected.