BET 2: Missed diagnosis of ischaemic stroke in the emergency department

Abstract

A short cut review was carried out to establish the rate and clinical characteristics of missed diagnosis of acute ischaemic stroke in the emergency department (ED). Two papers presented the best evidence to answer the clinical question. The author, date and country of publication, patient group studied, study type, relevant outcomes, results and study weaknesses of these papers are shown in table 1. It is concluded that acute ischaemic stroke is missed in approximately 9%–14% of patients with this diagnosis who present to the ED. This is especially true in patients presenting with non-specific complaints such as dizziness, nausea/vomiting or altered level of consciousness.