Stroke research in 2021: insights into the reorganisation of stroke care

Important advances from stroke research were reported in 2021, providing valuable insights for the field. In particular, the need to revisit the organisation of acute stroke care became evident. Although intravenous thrombolysis plus mechanical thrombectomy remains the best strategy for acute ischaemic stroke with large vessel occlusion, research from 2021 has stimulated fruitful discussions on how to organise the stroke care pathway. The conventional approach of awaiting the stroke patient's arrival at the hospital might soon be outdated given that flying doctors, mobile stroke units, or direct admission to the angiography suite are gaining attention.