PRONTO
Research type
Research Study
Full title
PRehospital biomarker and phoNe call-based detection for ischaemic stroke thrombecTOmy (PRONTO)
IRAS ID
356128
Contact name
Christopher Price
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Northumbria Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 11 months, 30 days
Research summary
For some people who have a serious type of stroke called ‘large vessel occlusion stroke (LVO)’, an emergency operation called ‘thrombectomy’ is needed to remove a blood clot blocking an artery in the brain. The faster the thrombectomy is received, the better the chances of recovery. However, thrombectomy is very specialised and only available in certain regional hospitals.
Currently there are no specific assessments or tests that ambulance staff can use to work if LVO stroke is happening or if an urgent operation may be needed. Consequently, most patients with LVO stroke suitable for thrombectomy must be transferred to a specialised regional hospital after tests (e.g brain scans) at their local hospital. This takes extra time to get to thrombectomy.
This research is evaluating whether a new ambulance assessment can accurately recognise people who have LVO stroke and may need thrombectomy. The assessment consists of a fingerprick blood test and telephone communication between ambulance and hospital staff. The fingerprick test measures two blood chemicals called ‘d-dimer’ and ‘GFAP’ and earlier research conducted in hospitals suggests that together these chemicals indicate LVO stroke. Other previous research has demonstrated that ambulance to hospital communicated clinical information has value for recognising people who need thrombectomy.
The study will take place in ambulance services and related stroke hospitals. Approximately 496 patients who call an ambulance with stroke symptoms will undergo the new assessment in addition to all routine tests conducted to investigate a possible stroke. Information from the new assessment will be compared with routine hospital information and tests to evaluate how well it works. If accurate, it could be used in ambulances in the future to select people to take directly to specialist hospitals for thrombectomy.
The study will run for 12 months. Funding is from the Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare.
REC name
South Central - Berkshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
25/SC/0199
Date of REC Opinion
11 Jul 2025
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion