Early Code Stroke Assessment

Associate Professor Tim Kleinig, Head of the Stroke Unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital, has kindly shared this presentation prepared for junior doctors and registrars who may be called upon to do the initial assessment of a "Code Stroke" patient at the RAH.

There is an introduction to the rationale of our Code Stroke approach, with detailed notes accompanying each slide—you'll have to download the file to view these. The key points for those on the front line highlight that the initial assessment is to identify which patients may be suitable for thrombolysis and therefore merit an expedited passage through the CT scanner. The key criteria are:

• Symptoms consistent with a disabling stroke
• No contraindications to thrombolysis
• Within timeframe for treatment (currently 4.5 hours)

This presentation touches upon the new data around endovascular intervention for large proximal strokes, and this is likely to be included in the next iteration of the Code Stroke protocol.