The burden of neurothrombectomy call: A multicenter prospective study

Introduction Neurothrombectomy frequency is increasing, and a better understanding of the neurothrombectomy call burden is needed Methods Neurointerventional physicians at nine participating stroke centers prospectively recorded time requirements for all neurothrombectomy (NT) consultations over 30 consecutive 24 hour call periods Results Data were collected from a total of 270 days of call 214 NT consultations were reported (mean 079 per day), including 130 'false positive' consultations that ultimately did not lead to thrombectomy (mean 048 per day) 84 NT procedures were performed at the nine centers (032 per day, or 1 every 3 days) Most (598%) consultations occurred between 5pm and 7am 30% of thrombectomy procedures resulted in delays in scheduled cases; treating physicians had to emergently travel to the hospital for 512% of these cases A median of 27 min was spent on each false positive consultation and 171 min on each thrombectomy Overall, the median physician time spent on NT responsibilities per 24 hour call period was 69 min (mean 85 min; IQR 16-135 min) Conclusions NT consultations are frequent and often disrupt physician schedules, requiring physicians to commute in from home after hours in the majority of cases As procedural and consultation volumes increase, it is crucial to understand the significant burden of call on neurointerventional physicians and develop strategies that reduce the potential for burnout Importantly, this study was performed prior to the completion of the DAWN and DEFUSE3 trials; NT consultations are expected to continue to increase in the future.