A55 Impact of the 2024 South Korean medical crisis on acute hemorrhagic stroke admissions: a single cerebrovascular-specialty hospital study

<h3>Introduction</h3> In February 2024, South Korea faced an unprecedented medical crisis due to the mass resignation of resident doctors, severely disrupting emergent and essential medical services. This crisis had a significant impact on the accessibility and referral patterns of acute hemorrhagic stroke care. <h3>Aim of study</h3> We aimed to evaluate changes in the number and regional distribution of patients with acute hemorrhagic stroke admitted to a single cerebrovascular-specialty hospital before and after the crisis. <h3>Method</h3> This retrospective study analyzed patients diagnosed with acute intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) who visited a single cerebrovascular-specialty hospital in South Korea. Patients were divided into two groups based on the onset of the medical crisis: Pre-crisis (Before February 2024) and Post-crisis (After February 2024). We compared the features between groups, such as referral patterns, regional distribution of patients, and time-related parameters. <h3>Results</h3> This study included 344 patients with acute hemorrhagic stroke (245 ICH, 99 SAH): 130 in the Pre-crisis group and 214 in the Post-crisis group. Referrals from outside the regional area significantly increased after the crisis (p &lt; 0.001), while direct visits to Pohang remained stable. Onset-to-operation and onset-to-arrival times were longer in the Post-crisis group, but hospital arrival-to-operation time showed no significant delay. <h3>Conclusion</h3> This study provides a piece of evidence that the 2024 South Korean medical crisis significantly impacted acute hemorrhagic stroke care accessibility. The notable increase in referrals from outside the regional area suggests a growing disparity in emergent hemorrhagic stroke care, likely due to the shortage of specialists in peripheral hospitals. <h3>Conflict of Interest</h3> Yes Medtronics