Prehospital epidemiological characteristics of acute stroke: clinical analyses of 116 cases

Objective To investigate the clinical characteristics of acute stroke patients treated in Zhenjiang Emergency Center. Methods The medical records of all stroke patients treated in Zhenjiang Emergency Center from January 01 to March 31, 2019 were analyzed retrospectively. The basic characteristics of the patients, Glasgow coma scale (GCS) score, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) score and vital signs at hospital were analyzed. Results A total of 116 patients with an average age of 55.1±14.0 years were included. Among them, male aged 56.7±14.9 years and female 52.5±12.1 years. Young stroke (younger than 45 years old) accounted for 22.4% of all patients, and patients under 65 years old accounted for 78.4%. The majority of stroke patients were male (62.9%) and lived in urban (72.4%). The average time from the onset of stroke symptoms to arrival at the hospital was 27 hours (ranging from 0.5 to 72 hours). Forty patients (34.5%) arrived at thrombolytic hospitals within 4.5 hours (window period) of the onset of symptoms. The mean NIHSS of patients with hemorrhagic stroke (17.54±7.54) was significantly higher than that of patients with ischemic stroke (14±7.15) (P<0.05). The average GCS score of all stroke patients was 12.12 ±3.35, ischemic stroke was 13.07±2.56 and hemorrhagic stroke was 11.11±3.80 (P<0.05). Conclusions Most of the stroke patients treated before hospital in Zhenjiang Emergency Center are 65-year-old or younger men. although the level of consciousness of the patients is OK, the condition is generally serious and only about 1/3 of the patients can reach the hospital in a short time. Therefore, society, the media and medical institutions should actively promote awareness of risk factors and stroke. The first aid center should also further improve the corresponding treatment capacity. Key words: Stroke; Glasgow coma scale; Pre-hospital care; National Institutes of Health Stroke scale