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Time is of the essence with thrombolysis for acute ischemic stroke. Administering thrombolysis in the field could shorten time to treatment and, ultimately, improve patient outcomes. Mobile stroke units (MSUs) — ambulances equipped with a computed tomography scanner (to evaluate for hemorrhage), point-of-care laboratory testing, and the ability to administer intravenous thrombolysis —improve process metrics such as time to treatment and thrombolysis rates, but the effect of MSUs on functional outcomes is less clear and subject to ongoing randomized trials.
Now investigators report the results of a nonrandomized study evaluating functional outcomes with MSUs. Berlin, Germany, has integrated MSUs into regular emergency medical services for the…