Emergency Department Presentation of Pediatric Stroke

Children with ischemic stroke were more likely to present with focal neurological signs, whereas those with hemorrhagic stroke were more likely to present with vomiting and to require intubation.

Investigators retrospectively assessed the clinical presentation of 81 consecutive children (mean age, 8.7 years) with radiologically confirmed acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or nontraumatic hemorrhagic stroke (HS) who presented to a tertiary pediatric emergency department (ED) in Australia during 2003 to 2008.

Median time from onset of symptoms to ED presentation was 21 hours for the 50 patients with AIS (interquartile range, 6–48 hours) and 12 hours for the 31 patients with HS (IQR, 4–72 hours). Only 58% of patients with HS and 26% of those with AIS were initially triaged at the two highest ED acuity categories.

Patients with AIS presented with the following symptoms more frequently than those with HS: focal limb weakness (64% vs. 35%), facial…

Reviewing Author

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Katherine Bakes, MD

Disclosures

RoyaltiesEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier)

Grant/Research SupportDepartment of Justice

Editorial BoardsEmergency Medicine Secrets (Elsevier); Rosen’s Emergency Medicine (Elsevier)

Emergency Department Presentation of Pediatric Stroke

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Reviewing Author