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Virtual Stroke Units Versus Conventional Stroke Unit Care in Non-Thrombectomy-Candidate Patients: A Non-Inferiority Prospective Cohort Study

3. Juni 2026 aktualisiert von: Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena

Stroke is the leading cause of acquired disability in adults and a major cause of mortality worldwide; in Spain, Andalusia shows the highest stroke-related mortality rate. Comprehensive Stroke Units (SU) are the gold-standard organizational model for acute stroke care; however, only a fraction of patients have direct access to an SU, particularly those not eligible for mechanical thrombectomy who are admitted to regional or district hospitals without on-site SU capacity.

The Virtual Stroke Unit (VSU) concept extends specialized stroke care to non-SU hospitals by combining standardized in-hospital monitoring boxes with synchronous remote multidisciplinary assessment by a stroke neurologist and stroke nurse from a reference center, via the regional telemedicine platform (CATI).

This prospective, multicenter, non-inferiority cohort study compares effectiveness, safety, and feasibility of VSU care versus conventional SU care in patients with acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke who are not candidates for mechanical thrombectomy. Recruitment targets 363 patients per arm (726 total). The primary outcome is death or dependency at 3 months (modified Rankin Scale 3-6) - the canonical measure of stroke-unit effectiveness - with functional independence (mRS 0-2), adherence to the stroke-unit care quality bundle, safety, mortality, recurrence, length of stay, satisfaction (TUQ/TSQ/TMPQ) and cost-effectiveness as secondary outcomes.

Studienübersicht

Detaillierte Beschreibung

Background. Stroke Units reduce mortality and dependence in acute stroke patients regardless of stroke subtype, severity, age or sex. However, in Andalusia, only a small proportion of acute stroke patients are admitted to an SU; many patients who are not candidates for mechanical thrombectomy remain hospitalized in non-SU wards of regional hospitals, with limited access to structured stroke-specific multidisciplinary care.

Rationale. Telemedicine-supported organizational models have shown promise to bridge the access gap for time-sensitive stroke care. The Virtual Stroke Unit (VSU) is a novel organizational model that combines (i) standardized monitoring boxes in non-SU hospitals with predefined nursing protocols, (ii) a daily synchronous joint visit between the local team and the reference SU team via the CATI telemedicine platform, and (iii) structured remote follow-up and discharge planning. The VSU model has not been formally evaluated in a comparative prospective study.

Objectives. Primary: to test whether VSU care is non-inferior to conventional SU care for 3-month functional outcome (mRS) in patients with acute stroke not eligible for mechanical thrombectomy. Secondary: to evaluate safety (in-hospital complications, mortality), efficiency (length of stay, inter-hospital transfers), patient and provider satisfaction (TUQ/TSQ/TMPQ), 1-year functional outcome and recurrence, and cost-effectiveness.

Design. Prospective multicenter cohort study with two parallel groups:

  • VSU group: consecutive eligible patients admitted to Hospital de Riotinto (Huelva) or Hospital San Juan de Dios del Aljarafe (Bormujos), receiving structured remote care from the CATI/Virgen Macarena stroke team.
  • Conventional SU group (control): consecutive eligible patients admitted to the Stroke Unit of Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena (Sevilla), without telemedicine support.

Sample size. 363 patients per group (726 total) to detect non-inferiority of VSU vs SU on the primary outcome, with a non-inferiority margin of 10%, 80% power, two-sided α = 5%, and an estimated 15% loss to follow-up.

Studientyp

Interventionell

Einschreibung (Geschätzt)

726

Phase

  • Unzutreffend

Kontakte und Standorte

Dieser Abschnitt enthält die Kontaktdaten derjenigen, die die Studie durchführen, und Informationen darüber, wo diese Studie durchgeführt wird.

Studienorte

Teilnahmekriterien

Forscher suchen nach Personen, die einer bestimmten Beschreibung entsprechen, die als Auswahlkriterien bezeichnet werden. Einige Beispiele für diese Kriterien sind der allgemeine Gesundheitszustand einer Person oder frühere Behandlungen.

Zulassungskriterien

Studienberechtigtes Alter

  • Erwachsene
  • Älterer Erwachsener

Akzeptiert gesunde Freiwillige

Nein

Beschreibung

Inclusion Criteria

  • Age ≥ 18 years.
  • Diagnosis of acute stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) confirmed by clinical assessment and neuroimaging (CT and/or MRI) within 24 hours of symptom onset or last-seen-well.
  • Not a candidate for mechanical thrombectomy according to current clinical guidelines.
  • Admission to a participating hospital (Hospital de Riotinto, Hospital San Juan de Dios del Aljarafe, or Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena).
  • Signed informed consent by the participant or legal representative. Exclusion Criteria
  • Pre-stroke modified Rankin Scale (mRS) ≥ 4.
  • Life expectancy < 6 months due to non-stroke comorbid conditions.
  • Inability to complete protocolized follow-up (geographical, social, or clinical reasons).
  • Concurrent participation in another interventional clinical trial that may affect study endpoints.
  • Refusal to provide informed consent.

Studienplan

Dieser Abschnitt enthält Einzelheiten zum Studienplan, einschließlich des Studiendesigns und der Messung der Studieninhalte.

Wie ist die Studie aufgebaut?

Designdetails

  • Hauptzweck: Versorgungsforschung
  • Zuteilung: Nicht randomisiert
  • Interventionsmodell: Parallele Zuordnung
  • Maskierung: Keine (Offenes Etikett)

Waffen und Interventionen

Teilnehmergruppe / Arm
Intervention / Behandlung
Experimental: Group 1 - Virtual Stroke Unit (VSU)
Patients with acute stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) not eligible for mechanical thrombectomy, admitted consecutively to Hospital de Riotinto (Huelva) or Hospital San Juan de Dios del Aljarafe (Bormujos, Sevilla). Care is delivered in standardized monitoring boxes following an SU-equivalent nursing protocol, with daily synchronous joint assessment by the reference stroke team (Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena) via the CATI telemedicine platform.
Structured multidisciplinary stroke care delivered remotely from the reference Stroke Unit (Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena) to non-SU hospitals (Hospital de Riotinto, Hospital San Juan de Dios del Aljarafe). Components: (i) standardized stroke monitoring boxes with predefined nursing protocols; (ii) synchronous joint assessment between local team and reference stroke neurologist/nurse via CATI videoconferencing on day 1 of admission; (iii) structured remote follow-up during hospitalization; (iv) standardized teleconsultation discharge report; (v) protocolized scheduled remote re-assessment at 1 week, 1 month, 3 months and 12 months.
Aktiver Komparator: Group 2 - Conventional Stroke Unit (Control)
Patients with acute stroke (ischemic or hemorrhagic) not eligible for mechanical thrombectomy, admitted consecutively to the Stroke Unit of Hospital Universitario Virgen Macarena (Sevilla). Care is delivered in person by the local SU multidisciplinary team without telemedicine support.
Bundle of conventional stroke unit care

Was misst die Studie?

Primäre Ergebnismessungen

Ergebnis Maßnahme
Maßnahmenbeschreibung
Zeitfenster
Death or dependency at 90 days (modified Rankin Scale 3-6)
Zeitfenster: 90 days from index admission
Proportion of participants who are dead or functionally dependent (mRS 3-6) at 90 ± 15 days post-admission. The mRS is a 7-level clinician-rated scale (0 = no symptoms; 6 = death); the 3-6 range is the canonical measure of stroke-unit effectiveness (avoidance of death or dependency). Non-inferiority of VSU versus conventional SU care is declared if the upper limit of the one-sided 95% confidence interval for the between-group difference does not exceed the pre-specified +10 percentage-point margin.
90 days from index admission

Sekundäre Ergebnismessungen

Ergebnis Maßnahme
Maßnahmenbeschreibung
Zeitfenster
Adherence to the stroke-unit care quality bundle
Zeitfenster: Index admission
Proportion of participants receiving a predefined stroke-unit care bundle during the index admission, equivalent to conventional SU standards: dysphagia screening before oral intake, early mobilization, neurological/vital-sign monitoring protocol, antithrombotic therapy within 48 h when indicated, and structured multidisciplinary assessment. Measures whether VSU care reproduces the quality of conventional stroke-unit care.
Index admission
In-hospital complications (composite safety endpoint)
Zeitfenster: Index admission (median 7-10 days)
Composite of in-hospital medical complications: symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, early neurological worsening (NIHSS ≥ 4 points), aspiration pneumonia, deep vein thrombosis, urinary tract infection, in-hospital death.
Index admission (median 7-10 days)
Etiological classification (TOAST)
Zeitfenster: 3 months
Distribution of TOAST etiological categories in ischemic strokes (large-artery atherosclerosis, cardioembolic, small-vessel, other determined, undetermined).
3 months
Adherence to secondary prevention
Zeitfenster: 3 and 12 months
Proportion of participants on guideline-concordant secondary prevention (antithrombotic therapy, antihypertensives, statins, anticoagulation if indicated) at 3 and 12 months.
3 and 12 months
Length of hospital stay
Zeitfenster: Index admission
Length of index admission in days, from admission to discharge
Index admission

Mitarbeiter und Ermittler

Hier finden Sie Personen und Organisationen, die an dieser Studie beteiligt sind.

Publikationen und hilfreiche Links

Die Bereitstellung dieser Publikationen erfolgt freiwillig durch die für die Eingabe von Informationen über die Studie verantwortliche Person. Diese können sich auf alles beziehen, was mit dem Studium zu tun hat.

Studienaufzeichnungsdaten

Diese Daten verfolgen den Fortschritt der Übermittlung von Studienaufzeichnungen und zusammenfassenden Ergebnissen an ClinicalTrials.gov. Studienaufzeichnungen und gemeldete Ergebnisse werden von der National Library of Medicine (NLM) überprüft, um sicherzustellen, dass sie bestimmten Qualitätskontrollstandards entsprechen, bevor sie auf der öffentlichen Website veröffentlicht werden.

Haupttermine studieren

Studienbeginn (Tatsächlich)

1. April 2026

Primärer Abschluss (Geschätzt)

31. März 2027

Studienabschluss (Geschätzt)

31. März 2028

Studienanmeldedaten

Zuerst eingereicht

3. Juni 2026

Zuerst eingereicht, das die QC-Kriterien erfüllt hat

3. Juni 2026

Zuerst gepostet (Tatsächlich)

9. Juni 2026

Studienaufzeichnungsaktualisierungen

Letztes Update gepostet (Tatsächlich)

9. Juni 2026

Letztes eingereichtes Update, das die QC-Kriterien erfüllt

3. Juni 2026

Zuletzt verifiziert

1. Mai 2026

Mehr Informationen

Begriffe im Zusammenhang mit dieser Studie

Plan für individuelle Teilnehmerdaten (IPD)

Planen Sie, individuelle Teilnehmerdaten (IPD) zu teilen?

UNENTSCHIEDEN

Beschreibung des IPD-Plans

Sharing of individual participant data (IPD) is not currently planned. Aggregated study results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and scientific congresses. Requests for de-identified IPD may be considered on a case-by-case basis subject to data protection regulations (GDPR), ethical approval and a formal data-sharing agreement.

Arzneimittel- und Geräteinformationen, Studienunterlagen

Studiert ein von der US-amerikanischen FDA reguliertes Arzneimittelprodukt

Nein

Studiert ein von der US-amerikanischen FDA reguliertes Geräteprodukt

Nein

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