Mobile stroke unit for diagnosis-based triage of persons with suspected stroke.

BACKGROUND In this feasibility study, we tested whether prehospital diagnostic stroke workup enables rational decision-making regarding treatment and the target hospital in persons with suspected stroke. METHODS A mobile stroke unit that delivers imaging (including multimodal brain imaging with CT angiography and CT perfusion), point-of-care-laboratory analysis, and neurologic expertise directly at the emergency site was analyzed for its use in prehospital diagnosis-based triage of suspected stroke patients. RESULTS We present 4 complementary cases with suspected stroke who underwent prehospital diagnostic workup that enabled direct diagnosis-based treatment decisions and reliable triage regarding the most appropriate medical facility for that individual, e.g., a primary hospital vs specialized centers of a tertiary hospital. CONCLUSIONS This preliminary report demonstrates the feasibility of prehospital diagnostic stroke workup for immediate etiology-specific decision-making regarding the necessary time-sensitive stroke treatment and the most appropriate target hospital.