COVID-19: Stroke Admissions, Emergency Department Visits, and Prevention Clinic Referrals

• Published in: Canadian journal of neurological sciences Vol. 47; no. 5; pp. 693 - 696
• Main Authors: Bres Bullrich, Maria, Fridman, Sebastian, Mandzia, Jennifer L., Mai, Lauren M., Khaw, Alexander, Vargas Gonzalez, Juan Camilo, Bagur, Rodrigo, Sposato, Luciano A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.09.2020
• Subjects: Betacoronavirus; Brief Communications; Coronavirus Infections - diagnosis; Coronavirus Infections - epidemiology; Coronavirus Infections - therapy; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; Emergency Service, Hospital - trends; Humans; Ontario - epidemiology; Pandemics; Patient Admission - trends; Pneumonia, Viral - diagnosis; Pneumonia, Viral - epidemiology; Pneumonia, Viral - therapy; Referral and Consultation - trends; SARS-CoV-2; Stroke; Stroke - diagnosis; Stroke - epidemiology; Stroke - therapy; Ontario; Ontario Canada; Canada; United States > US; STROKE; COVID-19; prevention
• ISSN: 0317-1671; 2057-0155
• DOI: 10.1017/cjn.2020.101

We assessed the impact of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic on code stroke activations in the emergency department, stroke unit admissions, and referrals to the stroke prevention clinic at London’s regional stroke center, serving a population of 1.8 million in Ontario, Canada. We found a 20% drop in the number of code strokes in 2020 compared to 2019, immediately after the first cases of COVID-19 were officially confirmed. There were no changes in the number of stroke admissions and there was a 22% decrease in the number of clinic referrals, only after the provincial lockdown. Our findings suggest that the decrease in code strokes was mainly driven by patient-related factors such as fear to be exposed to the SARS-CoV-2, while the reduction in clinic referrals was largely explained by hospital policies and the Government lockdown.