Stroke care showdown: direct to treatment vs. emergency room first

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: To be eligible for participation in the DIRECT trial, an individual must meet all of the following criteria: 1. Age: ≥ 18 years of age. 2. Clinical Presentation: Present to a participating TSC with signs or symptoms suggestive of acute LVO stroke. 3. Stroke Severity: Baseline NIHSS of 10 or higher. 4. Time since LKW: Time from LKW to arrival at the TSC must be within 7 hours. Additional criteria For all Interfacility Transfers: 1\. If imaging was performed at the outside facility, the time from the first imaging to arrival at the thrombectomy center must exceed 90 minutes. For all the Conventional Triage Arm, participants must also meet the following criteria: 1. Presence of a qualifying LVO by CTA or MRA imaging; or 2. For Large Core Patients: Patients with large core infarcts (CT-ASPECT score ≤ 5, DWI-ASPECT score ≤ 5, or infarct volume ≥ 70 cc) will be enrolled, irrespective of treatment decisions regarding embolectomy. For all DTAS Arm: 1\. Patients who do not have LVO occlusions in the angiography suite assessment (ICH, distal occlusions or mimics) will be enrolled, irrespective of treatment decisions regarding embolectomy. Exclusion Criteria: An individual who meets any of the following criteria will be excluded from participation in the trial: 1. Time Restrictions: Presentation to a thrombectomy-capable center more than 7 hours from LSW. 2. Imaging Criteria for Interfacility Transfer Patients: At sites enrolling transfer patients, any patient arriving from an outside hospital with time from imaging study at the presenting hospital to arrival at the TSC not exceeding 90 minutes. 3. Hemorrhagic Stroke: Presence of intracranial hemorrhage on brain imaging in the conventional strategy as Heidelberg that renders thrombectomy contraindicated.