Acute stroke thrombolysis with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator in an Australian tertiary hospital.

OBJECTIVE To report initial experience with the use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) to treat acute ischaemic stroke at an Australian tertiary-care hospital. DESIGN Retrospective audit of computerised hospital stroke database. PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING All patients with acute ischaemic stroke treated with intravenous tPA between April 1999 and July 2002 at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, VIC. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Times from stroke onset to arrival at the emergency department (ED) and treatment; rates of symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage (ICH); clinical outcome at three months; and violations of treatment protocol. RESULTS Of 932 patients admitted with ischaemic stroke, 30 were treated with intravenous tPA. Median time from stroke onset to tPA treatment was 2 h 48 min, and median door-to-needle time was 1 h 49 min. Door-to-needle time improved in the last 12 months of the audit, with four of 15 patients achieving the recommended 60 min. Eleven patients (37%) had excellent clinical outcomes at three-month follow-up (modified Rankin score, 0-1), and 15 (50%) were functionally independent (score, 0-2). Mortality rate was 10%, similar to that of all ischaemic stroke patients during the audit period. Two patients (7%) had symptomatic ICH. Treatment deviated from protocol in seven patients (23%), five of whom received tPA over three hours after stroke onset. CONCLUSION Rates of favourable outcomes and symptomatic ICH at our hospital were similar to those achieved in international phase III and IV trials in specialised centres.