WSO BEAT STROKE Initiative
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Educational and implementation Neurocardiology tool, No educational or implementation tool will be provided.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Stroke, PFO - Patent Foramen Ovale, Atrial Fibrillation (AF). Basic parameters: from 18 years · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- Canada
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
WSO - The Brain and hEart globAl iniTiative (BEAT) Stroke
Overview
The WSO Brain and hEart globAl iniTiative - STROKE (BEAT-STROKE) is a cluster randomized controlled trial, testing whether an educational and implementation Neurocardiology tool can improve adherence to best practice recommendations for secondary stroke prevention of cardioembolic strokes, as defined by the WSO Systematic Review and Synthesis of Global Stroke Guidelines or more recent high-quality evidence published after the last stroke guidelines1
Detailed description
The World Stroke Organization (WSO) Brain and Heart Task Force developed The Brain \& hEart globAl iniTiative (BEAT), a pilot feasibility program aimed at establishing clinical collaborations between cardiologists and stroke physicians.1 The WSO BEAT pilot project focused on atrial fibrillation (AF) and patent foramen ovale (PFO) detection and management, highly prevalent cardioembolic causes of ischemic stroke and transient ischemic attack (TIA).
The pilot feasibility WSO BEAT program comprised 10 sites from 8 countries, including Brazil, China, Egypt, Germany, Japan, Mexico, Romania, and the USA. Of the 10 sites, two belonged exclusively to the public sector and one was public and private. The primary objective of the pilot WSO BEAT program was to assess its feasibility by achieving a composite feasibility outcome including: (1) developing site-specific clinical pathways for the diagnosis and management of AF, PFO, and the stroke heart syndrome; (2) establishing regular Neurocardiology rounds (e.g., monthly, bimonthly, etc.); and (3) incorporating a cardiologist to the stroke team.
Overall, the WSO BEAT program successfully achieved the pre-specified goals at most sites. Regarding the three primary program objectives, 9/10 (90%) of the sites were able to design or update the proposed clinical care pathways, establish Neurocardiology rounds, and designate a dedicated cardiologist for the stroke team, respectively.
To date it is unknown whether the implementation of Neurocardiology educational tools and collaborations between cardiologists and neurologists can improve adherence to best practice recommendations focused on the management of cardioembolic strokes.
Interventions
- Other Educational and implementation Neurocardiology tool
Sites in this arm will be provided with an educational and implementation Neurocardiology tool aiming to improve adherence to best practice recommendations for secondary stroke prevention of cardioembolic strokes, as defined by the WSO Systematic Review and Synthesis of Global Stroke Guidelines or more recent high-quality evidence published after the last stroke guidelines1. - Other No educational or implementation tool will be provided
Participants will be followed for up to 12 months. No educational or interventional tool will be provided to sites in this arm until the follow-up period has ended.
Primary outcome measures
- Difference between the baseline and 6-month mean WSO BEAT Neurocardiology Score [Time frame: 6-months]
Secondary outcome measures (2)
- Difference between the baseline and 6-month mean WSO BEAT Neurocardiology Score for each of the 5 pre-specified cathegories. [Time frame: 6-months]
- Long-term achievement of the primary outcome at 12 months. [Time frame: 12-months]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Patients with ischemic stroke or TIA of any etiology.
Exclusion criteria
- N/A
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Allocation
- Non-randomized
- Model
- Parallel assignment
- Masking
- Open label
- Primary purpose
- Diagnostic
Study locations
Canada · 1 center
- Heart & Brain Lab, Western University — London
Identifiers
NCT: NCT06606054 · 14852