Challenges and Potential Solutions of Stroke Care During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Outbreak

Abstract

COVID-19 becoming a pandemic as declared by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, the world needs to act quickly to have plans ready to deal with the challenges of continuing to deliver high-quality stroke care.

Stroke Health Care Use and COVID-19

“…For instance, preliminary available data showed that the number of thrombectomies in Shanghai decreased by 50% in the first month after the Spring Festival compared with the same period in 2019. 2 Adverse health outcomes resulting from accessibility barriers posed by the fear of COVID-19 should not be overlooked. Thus, it is necessary to encourage patients to continue seeking emergency care if experiencing acute stroke symptoms.…”

The Impact of COVID-19 pandemic Lockdown on the utilization of acute surgical care, retrospective, multicenter analysis

“…In the USA, the nine High-Volume catheterization laboratories reported a decrease activation for STelevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) of 38% [7]. The similar trend could be observed by neurologists from China and USA, who reported a dramatic decline of acute strokes of 30-50% [8,9].…”

“…The Medscape Medical News also announce a 30% decreased rates of major stroke in Chicago [8]. Furthermore, the preliminary data to Stroke care from Shanghai reported a decrease of thrombectomies by 50% in the rst month after the Spring Festival (24th to 30th January 2020) [9]. Those specialties discussed the reduction of stress and the deceleration of public live as a potential reason for such a decline of cardiovascular emergencies [7][8][9].…”

¿Va a cambiar la neurología tras la pandemia de COVID-19 en los próximos 5 años? Estudio de enfoque mediante informadores clave

“…Sin embargo, no parece que se generen cambios ni en la exploración clínica ni en las indicaciones de exploraciones complementarias, al menos por el especialista de Neurologia. Tampoco los informadores clave consideran que haya cambios en el desarrollo de las unidades de ictus, aunque puedan haber circuitos específicos para pacientes que resulten covid+ (30,31) . Los encuestados también señalan que la pandemia conllevará nuevas formas de funcionamiento de los congresos, así como la asistencia de monitores de los ensayos clínicos y la utilización progresiva de medios electrónicos en sustitución del papel.…”