Thrombolysis of acute ischaemic stroke in a district general hospital: are we doing enough?

Thrombolysis of acute ischaemic stroke is safe, efficacious and licensed for use in the UK. To date, few studies have looked at the rates of thrombolysis within a district general hospital setting. The aim of the study was to identify whether local thrombolysis protocols for stroke are adhered to; the rate of thrombolysis and strategies for implementation focused at improving the provision of thrombolysis of patients with acute ischaemic stroke. The methodology involved in this was a retrospective study within a district general hospital in the South of England. Data on patients admitted between 15 April 2008 and 14 April 2009 including demographics, use of the local thrombolysis protocol and reasons for non-thrombolysis were collected and analysed. Out of a total of 599 patients with a primary presentation of acute stroke, 18 were considered for thrombolysis. Six patients out of these 18 were thrombolysed without complications. Four out of these six patients had an improved National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) post-thrombolysis and one eventually died due to the extensiveness of the stroke sustained, despite a slightly improved NIHSS. The rate of thrombolysis of acute ischaemic stroke is low in this hospital (1.001%). Various measures will need to be considered for implementation in order to improve the provision of this service.