A Study of the Timing of Thrombolytic Therapy in Patients with Acute Ischemic Stroke Referred to the Emergency Department of Imam Khomeini Educational and Medical Center in Urmia (RA) in the Second Half of the Year 2022

Background: Stroke ranks first in frequency among neurological disorders in a general hospital setting. Stroke accounts for at least half of the neurological disorders in such environments. Objectives: The present study was designed and implemented to determine the time status of providing emergency services to patients with acute ischemic stroke who presented to the Emergency Department of Imam Khomeini Educational and Medical Center, Urmia, Iran in the second half of the year 2022. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was conducted using a cross-sectional method and census sampling on patients referred to Imam Khomeini Hospital in Urmia with ischemic stroke in the second half of 2022. A checklist of demographic, disease, and time information was used to collect data. After collection, the data were entered into SPSS18 and analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: In the present study, the mean age of patients was 71.46 ± 12.52 years, with 64.3% female and 35.7% male. Of the patients, 60.7% were outpatients, 17.9% were referred from other medical centers, and 21.4% were brought to the emergency department by ambulance. The average time interval from the patient’s arrival at triage to the formation of the case file was 6.78 minutes. The average time interval from the formation of the case file to the visit to the emergency medicine specialist was 17.33 minutes. The average time interval from arrival at triage to the visit to the emergency medicine specialist was 23.83 minutes. The average time interval from arrival at triage to the visit to the neurologist was 116.55 minutes. The average time interval from the visit to the emergency medicine specialist to the visit to the neurologist was 90.0 minutes, and the average time interval from the visit to the emergency medicine specialist to the CT scan was 62.26 minutes. Four patients were prescribed recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (r-tPA). The average time from the patient’s arrival to the injection of r-tPA was 47.5 ± 5.6 minutes. Conclusions: According to the results of the study, planning for the early diagnosis and treatment of stroke patients is necessary and vital because the lack of appropriate treatment can cause irreparable consequences.