Decreased admissions and change in arrival mode in patients with cerebrovascular events during the first surge of the COVID-19 pandemic

Background and purpose: Investigating clinical characteristics of patients presenting with cerebrovascular events during the pandemic may provide valuable insight into further understanding the phenomenon of decreased stroke admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic. Method: Data of patients presenting with a cerebrovascular event to the emergency department during weeks 12-17/2020 were compared to data from the respective weeks in 2019. Results: A significant reduction in the number of admissions by 35.9% (p = 0.005) was observed during the COVID-19 epoch. In addition, significantly more patients arrived by ambulance during the COVID-19 epoch (2019: 75.7%, 2020: 94.2%; p = 0.001). Conclusion: Our data may have implications as to how campaigns raising awareness for serious medical conditions in the context of the pandemic should be framed.