Current territorial organization for access to revascularization therapies for acute ischemic stroke in the Veneto region (Italy) from 2017 to 2021

IntroductionTo evaluate the access to treatments with intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) and/or mechanical thrombectomy (MT) in acute ischemic stroke patients admitted to stroke units (SUs) of Veneto region (Italy) according to current "hub-and-spoke" model from 2017 to 2021.Patients and methodsWe retrospectively analyzed data on treatments with IVT and/or MT for stroke patients admitted to the 23 SUs (6 Hubs and 17 Spokes) of the 6 macro-areas including 9 local sanitary units (LSUs) and 2 hospitals.ResultsWe reported 6093 treatments with IVT alone, 1114 with IVT plus MT, and 921 with MT alone. Number of stroke unit (SU) beds/100,000 inhabitants ranges from 2.3 to 2.8, and no difference was found among different macro-areas. Number of treatments/100,000 inhabitants/year ranges from 19 to 34 for IVT alone, from 2 to 7 for IVT plus MT, and from 2 to 5 for MT alone. Number of IVT alone/SU bed/year ranges from 9 to 21 in the Hub and from 6 to 12 in the Spokes. Rate of IVT plus MT in patients directly arrived in the same LSU's Hub ranges from 50 to 81%, likewise the one of MT alone ranges from 49 to 84%.ConclusionsTreatment target rates of IVT and MT set by Action Plan for Stroke in Europe 2018-2030 has been globally exceeded in the Veneto region. However, the target rate of MT and access revascularization treatments is heterogeneous among different macro-areas. Further efforts should be made to homogenize the current territorial organization.