Stroke services at Tallaght University Hospital, Dublin, now provide acute stroke assessment to a wider catchment area which includes Naas and Portlaoise.
This has resulted in a 200% increase in the hospital’s emergency ‘FAST’ calls.
There were over 600 ‘FAST’ calls in 2023 and the ASU now treats over 400 strokes per year. The current ‘door-to-CT’ time is 15 minutes and the ‘door-to-decision’ time is 22 minutes.
A third of the strokes are due to atrial fibrillation and underlying cardiac disease, so effective cardiac monitoring is a core component of ASU care.
All nine acute stroke beds are now equipped with new Mindray Physiological monitors. The unit now uses continuous 12-lead ECG monitoring supported by the latest Mindray software and reporting tools. It is designed to detect and alert staff of any atrial fibrillation.
As the service develops staffing levels have grown on the William Stokes Unit, with two new consultant posts and 14 new nurses joining the stroke team this year. The service is active in stroke prevention, a daily rapid access TIA/stroke prevention clinic is run with colleagues in Neurology and a weekly multidisciplinary atrial fibrillation clinic takes place with colleagues in Cardiology. The service is also involved in stroke research, including the CONVINCE trial, and is a National Co-ordinating Centre for the BLTZ-AF registries and TICH-3 trial, as well as a consortium partner in the Horizon 2020 EHRA-Paths programme.
