WSO Survey - The Global Impact of COVID-19 on Stroke

The Global Impact of COVID-19 on Stroke

WSO President Elect, Prof Marc Fischer, reports that initial findings from a WSO member survey supports anecdotal reports of reduced stroke admissions to hospital during the COVID 19, but a more detailed picture is needed.

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected healthcare around the world but the extent of the impact has varied depending upon many factors, including the prevalence of infection and the governmental response, healthcare resources, prior pandemic planning and the willingness of the population to adhere to public health guidelines/recommendations. Despite the pandemic, acute strokes still occur, but the willingness of patients to seek care and how they are managed will be affected. In my own hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, we have seen a dramatic decrease in stroke admissions once the number of COVID-19 patients began to increase in our population. Another large hospital in Boston, Massachusetts General Hospital has seen a similar decline. In data from China provided to me, a large survey of major hospitals in the country demonstrated that stroke admissions declined by almost 40% and that acute treatment with thrombolysis and thrombectomy declined by approximately 25% in February 2020 as compared to the same month in 2019.

To obtain a broader picture of the effect of COVID-19 on stroke around the world a survey was conducted of WSO board members and 13 responded. In regards to the number of stroke admissions, 6/13 reported no change, 2/13 reported a slight decrease and 5/13 reported a significant decrease, ranging from 50-90%. The survey asked about outpatient visits and 4/13 respondents reported that they were still being seen in-person and 9/13 reported that in-person visits were cancelled. In those centers where visits were cancelled, 3 were using video conferencing to evaluate patients remotely. That is what my hospital is doing as well. Only 1 center reported that a staff member had been infected by COVID-19. This survey is however limited and incomplete because no board members from Europe responded and many European countries have been hard-hit by COVID-19. It does provide some information about the impact of COVID-19 in many locations. To add to the database, it would be greatly appreciated if other WSO board members and the general membership would respond to the survey. If you wish to receive it, please contact the WSO office and they will send it to you.