[From stroke to reperfusion : How can we be faster?]

Background: During the last two decades major efforts in clinical research have led to the establishment of intravenous thrombolysis as the first line acute therapy for ischemic stroke. More recently, data from successful phase III trials have provided proof of the efficiency of mechanical recanalization in acute stroke. The fact that the efficiency of the available therapies can be increased through faster delivery is well documented; however, many institutions dealing with the emergency care of stroke patients lack organizational or infrastructural arrangements to optimize time efficiency in the diagnostic and therapeutic workup.
Conclusion: Many of these arrangements have been well evaluated, can be implemented at reasonable costs and have been proven to increase the beneficial effects of thrombolytic therapy.