Programa de Área Neuroprotegida. Un nuevo concepto en optimización de la atención prehospitalaria del accidente cerebrovascular

Introduction and objectives

Vascular disease accounts for 28% of deaths in Argentina, with 17% due to cerebrovascular disease. Stroke is the leading cause of disability in adults, and its treatment is time-dependent. The Medical Directorate of the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Nation, in collaboration with the Argentine Neurological Society, has implemented a Neuro-protected Area program to improve stroke response in all its areas.

Methods

The program included 5 stages: local analysis, training design, creation of an action algorithm, implementation and monitoring, and evaluation of results. Twenty theoretical and practical training sessions were conducted for 300 agents, with drills to assess the program's effectiveness. Pre- and post-training surveys were also conducted to measure stroke knowledge.

Results

The surveys showed a significant increase in stroke awareness across all evaluated areas. Eighty-eight percent of participants understood what a stroke is, and 94.9% of participants were able to correctly recognize the associated symptoms after the training. There was also a clearer understanding of risk factors. Drills demonstrated an effective response with emergency notification times under 30 minutes. Before the training, a delay of 140 minutes was detected in attending to an individual with stroke symptoms, whereas, after the program was implemented, the care protocol was activated in less than 30 minutes.

Conclusion

The neuro-protection program designed by the Medical Directorate of the Honorable Chamber of Deputies of the Nation and the Argentine Neurological Society has proven to be effective, improving knowledge and response capacity to strokes. This model can be replicated in other institutions, optimizing prehospital care and reducing stroke mortality and disability.