ESCAPE to Reality, Post-Trial Outcomes in an ESCAPE Centre: A Retrospective Case-Control Study

Introduction: The Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast provides the regional neuroendovascular service for Northern Ireland and was an enrolling centre for the ESCAPE endovascular stroke trial. Our aim was to assess outcomes for patients presenting with acute stroke following discontinuation of trial enrolment at our centre. Methods We collected data on all patients presenting with acute stoke between Nov-1st-2014 and Oct-31st-2015 who received endovascular treatment or received IV thrombolysis (IV-tPA) alone. ESCAPE eligibility of each patient was assessed. Primary outcome was modified Rankin Score (mRS) at 3 months. Results 129 patients presented with acute stoke symptoms during the time period; 56/129 (43.4%) patients in the intervention group and 73/129 (56.5%) patients in the control group. In the interventional group, 42/56 (75%) were considered ESCAPE eligible and 14/56 (25%) were considered ESCAPE ineligible. 30/42 (71.4%) ESCAPE eligible patients had a positive functional outcome at 3 months compared to 9/14 (64.2%) ESCAPE ineligible patients. In the control group, 37 (50.7%) had identifiable thrombotic occlusion and 13/37 (35.1%) were considered eligible for intervention. 4/13 (30.8%) achieved functional independence (mRS