Study finds delays in seeking stroke treatment amid COVID-19

Ischemic stroke patients are showing up to the hospital an average of 160 minutes later during the COVID-19 pandemic than during a similar timeframe in 2019, according to a new study.

The delay is affecting both stroke survival and recovery, add stroke surgeons from the Society of NeuroInterventional Surgery (SNIS).

The first study to confirm suspected stroke patient avoidance assessed 710 patients presenting with acute ischemic strokes at 12 stroke centers across six states. It compared the period of February and March 2019 (the baseline period) to February 2020 (the “pre-COVID-19” period) and March 2020 (the “COVID-19” period). In addition to the delay in treatment, the study also found a marked decrease in overall reported stroke patients, from 223 to 167, in these same treatment centers from February to March 2020 with the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. It was published in the Journal of NeuroInterventional Surgery (JNIS).

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