AAN 2022 | Advancements in stroke systems of care

Johanna Fifi, MD, FAAN, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, NY, discusses some of the major recent innovations in stroke systems of care. A plethora of safety and efficacy evidence has seen thrombectomy become the gold standard for large vessel occlusion and shifted the focus towards optimizing care systems and making this procedure more accessible to patients. Recent work has been in developing a system called trip-and-treat, where onsite thrombectomy services are provided to primary stroke centers to refine stroke workflow. Specialized mobile interventional stroke teams are brought in to provide these services, leading to shorter treatment times for endovascular therapy. In addition to this, mobile stroke units are also being increasingly studied and implemented. Recent studies have shown that the use of mobile stroke units leads to an increase in positive outcomes for patients as CT scans are performed as soon as ambulances arrive at the patient and thrombolytic agents can be administered quicky. Dr Fifi also highlights direct-angiography for suspected large vessel occlusion. This interview took place at the American Academy of Neurology 2022 Congress in Seattle, WA.