Grant: Project Grant

Stroke happens when a blood vessel in the brain is blocked. Every 9 minutes, a Canadian has a stroke. Endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) is a procedure to unblock blood vessels in the brain. With this treatment, fewer people die, more people are able to return home and go back to do activities they enjoy after stroke. Right now, not everyone has access to EVT. First, a special scan of the brain is needed to detect vessel blockage, but not all hospitals have this scanner. Second, even when a vessel blockage is found, not all hospitals offer this treatment and patients often have to travel to a different hospital to get it. Third, EVT must be done very quickly or it will not help the patient. We currently do not know if the right people with stroke are getting to the right hospital at the right time. Our study aims to identify ways to optimize access to EVT. We will collect information from all hospitals in Ontario to understand how people with stroke are being cared for now. Most research focuses on people who get EVT, but it does not study those who do not get it. We will find out how many people do not get the scan to look for blood vessel blockage, how many people with a blockage do not get EVT, and why not. Studying people with stroke who did not have the scan or the treatment is important because it will help us find out where we can improve care. For example, are there specific hospitals or regions in Ontario where resources are insufficient? Are there groups of people who are not being treated equitably? In particular, we want to study if women and men are equally likely to get EVT and whether this treatment is safe for both women and men. Our results will help understand where the needs of the people and hospitals are. We are working with CorHealth Ontario and the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada on this project. This study will inform provincial and national stroke systems of care to improve patient outcomes after stroke.