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Among patients with a calculated delay time,half arrived within 3 hours of symptom onset and 90%arrived within 24 hours.Patients with approximated delay times tended to have longer delays,and less than 40%of these patients arrived within 24 hours of symptom onset.Some characteristics associated(p<0.05)with longer delay included Asian/Pacific Islander ethnicity,dependence in any activities of daily living before stroke,and several symptoms at stroke onset.Characteristics associated(p<0.05)with shorter delay included admission through the emergency department,presence of syncope,or seizures at stroke onset,previously myocardial infarction, abnormal mental status,and greater disability at presentation(measured by the Rankin scale).Most patients arrive too late to receive the maximum benefit from emerging stroke therapies.Efforts to reduce delays in hospital arrival after acute stroke can maximize the effectiveness of these therapies by specifically targeting persons at risk for longer delay. |
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