Thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke: Do patients treated out of hours have a worse outcome?

Abstract

Introduction: Previous studies on the impact of nonworking hours (NWH) have produced conflicting results. We aimed to compare the time to treatment with thrombolysis between NWH and working hours (WH) at an Australian comprehensive stroke center. Materials and Methods: All acute ischemic stroke patients treated with intravenous alteplase (IV-alteplase) from January 2003 to December 2011 at the Royal Melbourne Hospital were included. Data collected included demographics, serial time points (including onset, presentation to emergency department, neuroimaging, and thrombolysis), and clinical outcomes (modified Rankin Scale [mRS] and death) at 3 months. NWH were defined as weekdays 5 pm-8 am, we..