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Skipping the second scan: taking transferred stroke patients straight to treatment

Published in Stroke: Vascular and Interventional Neurology, 2025 · Summary posted 5 July 2026

In plain language

People who have a large-vessel stroke at a regional or remote hospital are often transferred to a specialist centre for clot retrieval (endovascular thrombectomy). On arrival, they are usually scanned again before treatment — which adds delay at a time when every minute of brain tissue counts.

This study examined a direct-to-angiography approach: taking selected transferred patients straight to the treatment suite using the scans already taken at the referring hospital, without any repeat brain imaging. Using a propensity-matched design (comparing closely similar groups of patients), it looked at how this streamlined pathway affects the treatment of transferred patients.

Why it matters

For regional and remote communities, where transfer distances are long, removing an unnecessary step could help patients reach treatment sooner. This is part of making sure people who live outside major cities get timely, high-quality care. The full results and safety considerations are set out in the paper.

The paper

This is a summary of published research written for general readers, not medical advice. If you or someone you care for has symptoms of stroke, call 000 (in Australia) immediately. For questions about your own health, please speak with your doctor.