Urgent Treatment of TIA or Minor Stroke Cuts Risk for Early Recurrence
Physician's First Watch for October 19, 2007
Urgent treatment after a TIA or minor stroke can reduce the 90-day risk for stroke by 80%, Lancet reports.
A study examining stroke outcomes was divided into two phases. In the first, 310 patients presenting to primary care with a TIA or minor stroke were referred to a neurovascular clinic, where patients were assessed and treatment recommendations were faxed to the primary care clinician. In phase 2, about 280 patients were sent directly to the neurovascular clinic, where they received appropriate treatment.
The median delay to clinic assessment dropped from 3 days in phase 1 to less than a day in phase 2. Likewise, the median delay to treatment fell from 20 days to 1 day. The incidence of stroke within 90 days also fell significantly — from 10% to 2%.
Editorialists conclude that patients with TIA or minor stroke "should receive the same urgent attention as is provided for those with acute coronary syndromes."
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