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Completed

NCT Number: NCT01644019

Prehospital Telemedical Support in Acute Stroke

The aim of the study is to investigate the quality of prehospital emergency care in acute stroke, when paramedics are supported telemedically by an EMS physician.

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Key information

Conditions

Acute Stroke Brain Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Cerebrovascular Disorders Nervous System Diseases Stroke Vascular Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University Hospital Aachen

Aachen, 52074, Germany

About this study

Six ambulances from five different Emergency Medical Service (EMS) districts are equipped with a portable telemedicine system. In cases of suspected acute stroke (including intracranial hemorrhage), the paramedics can use this system to contact a so called "tele-EMS physician" after consent of the patient is obtained. The tele-EMS physician has an audio-connection to the EMS team and receives vital parameters (e.g., ECG, pulse oximetry, non-invasive blood pressure) in real-time. The transmission of still pictures (taken with a smartphone), 12-lead-ECGs and video streaming from the inside of the ambulance can also be carried out, if indicated. The tele-EMS physician supports the EMS team in obtaining all relevant medical history, neurological diagnosis, general diagnosis and can delegate the application of medications. This can be carried out to bridge the time to the arrival of an EMS physician or in less severe cases without an EMS physician on-scene. The quality of prehospital care and the possible influences on the initial inhospital phase should be investigated and compared with regular EMS.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

  • suspected acute stroke
  • verbal consent for teleconsultation obtained or patient is not able to consent due to the severity of the emergency

Exclusion criteria

  • no suspected stroke
  • patient refuses consent

Treatment and study plan

Teleconsultation

Procedure

Teleconsultation of an EMS physician in cases of suspected acute stroke

Primary outcomes

  1. Quality of prehospital care

    Time frame: average 1 hour

    Analysis of the quality of prehospital care on the basis of published guidelines for acute stroke

Secondary outcomes

  1. Clinical time intervals

    Time frame: 12 hours

    Prehospital and in-hospital time intervals: on-scene-time, contact to hospital time, door (hospital) to cerebral imaging, door (hospital) to thrombolysis

  2. Diagnostic quality

    Time frame: up to 28 days

    Comparison of prehospital and definitive diagnosis

  3. Information transfer

    Time frame: 2 hours

    Amount of stroke specific information that is transferred to the admitting hospital.

  4. choice of appropriate hospital

    Time frame: average 1 hour

    Evaluation how many patients are transported to an appropriate facility (stroke unit)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

RWTH Aachen University

Other

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2012
Primary completion
2013
Study completion
2015
First posted
Jul 18, 2012
Registry last updated
Sep 22, 2015

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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