ACT-FAST cuts time to endovascular thrombectomy without over-triage

Reuters Health - 07/01/2021 - Prehospital stroke triage by paramedics can expedite endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) and reduce the need for secondary transfers, according to a new real-world study. Using the severity-based Ambulance Clinical Triage for Acute Stroke Treatment (ACT-FAST) algorithm saved an estimated 52 minutes before EVT by avoiding secondary interhospital transfers, Dr. Henry Zhao of Royal Melbourne Hospital in Parkville, Victoria, Australia, and colleagues found. "The overall benefits of an ACT-FAST algorithm bypass strategy in expediting EVT and avoiding secondary transfers are estimated to substantially outweigh the disadvantages of potentially delayed thrombolysis and over-triage, with only a small proportion of EVT patients missed," Dr. Zhao and his team conclude in Stroke. Currently available severity-based triage tools for large-vessel occlusion (LVO) are not specific enough, resulting in too many false-positives, the authors note. In th...

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Posted on 7 January, 202118 January, 2021