Letter by Vercillo Regarding Article, “Use, Temporal Trends, and Outcomes of Endovascular Therapy After Interhospital Transfer in the United States”

A recent study published in the American Heart Associations’ journal Circulation identified a concerning trend: When patients diagnosed with a stroke need to be transferred from a community hospital to a specialty center for endovascular treatment (EVT—mechanical removal of a blood clot that caused the stroke when medical therapy is not enough), treatment is often delayed. The study found that this delay also causes worse outcomes in these patients.

However, emergent transfers in these patients remains a necessity. Every minute counts with a stroke and quite often, the vast majority of stroke patients arrive at a hospital that is not equipped to perform this necessary life-saving procedure that patients need.

Patients who are efficiently transferred to a comprehensive stroke center typically have better outcomes as noted by Dr. Darin Vercillo, Central Logic’s Chief Medical Officer, in his Letter to the Editor published in Circulation, where he details steps that can be taken to reduce delays in transfer for stroke patients

Read Dr. Vercillo’s letter to the editor published in Circulation here.