JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
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Comparative Study Clinical Trial Controlled Clinical Trial
Association Between Use of a Flying Intervention Team vs Patient Interhospital Transfer and Time to Endovascular Thrombectomy Among Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke in Nonurban Germany.
The benefit of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke is highly time-dependent, and it is challenging to expedite treatment for patients in remote areas. ⋯ In a nonurban stroke network in Germany, deployment of a flying intervention team to local stroke centers, compared with patient interhospital transfer to referral centers, was significantly associated with shorter time to EVT for patients with acute ischemic stroke. The findings may support consideration of a flying intervention team for some stroke systems of care, although further research is needed to confirm long-term clinical outcomes and to understand applicability to other geographic settings.