The influence of COVID-19 on the treatment of patients with acute ischemic stroke: a retrospective observational study

Introduction: Since December 2019, coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) has rapidly spread to become a global pandemic, exerting a great pressure on medical staff worldwide. This study aimed to observe whether COVID-19 influenced the diagnosis and treatment of ischemic stroke (IS). Material and methods: This study retrospectively analysed the clinical data (number of emergencies, time from onset to treatment, and door-to-needle time [DNT]) of patients with acute IS (AIS) treated in our hospital within six months of the first case of COVID-19 reported in the city; the derived data were then compared with the situation of patients during the same period in 2019. Results: The results showed that the number of medical visits during the period of COVID-19 decreased by 44.3%, and the median time from the onset of IS to emergency treatment was 35 min longer than that during the same period in 2019. The median time from entering the emergency department to the completion of cranial computerized tomography was 8 min shorter than during the same period in 2019, and the median time of DNT was relatively shorter than that during the same period in 2019. Conclusions: The pandemic situation of COVID-19 significantly reduced the number of patients with AIS and prolonged the travel time to the hospital whereas most of the stroke treatment services were maintained.