Enhancing Prehospital Stroke Diagnosis

Basic ambulance personnel are trained in the application of the CPSS scale in suspected stroke. The CPSS scale is a tool used to quickly assess stroke severity in pre-hospital settings. It is a three-point scale that takes into account the patient's level of consciousness, facial droop, and arm weakness. If a patient with suspected stroke meets certain criteria, they will be coded as having a suspected stroke by the SOREU. These criteria include having one item in three of the CPSS scale, being of adult age, and being independent at home.

Among the tools already available to improve evaluation of patients rescued in the field, SOREU has video calls between the dispatch room physician and the rescuer in the field. Thus, the rescuer in the field will perform the CPSS during ongoing video call with the dispatch room, allowing the remote evaluation of the patient by the healthcare worker present in the control room, potentially increasing the ability to identify a stroke.

LARIO scale's effectiveness in identifying patients with ischemic stroke caused by a large vessel occlusion in the anterior cerebral circulation. The anterior cerebral circulation supplies blood to the front and upper parts of the brain. Occlusion of a large vessel in this area can lead to a severe stroke. Rescuer in the field will perform the CPSS and the LARIO during ongoing video call with the dispatch room, allowing the remote evaluation of the patient by the healthcare worker present in the control room.