Australian hospitals taking too long to start clot retrieval surgery, report finds

A report reveals hospitals are failing to give patients a lifesaving drug on time, with one expert warning “we can’t keep going like this”.

Australian hospitals are lagging behind American and UK hospitals when it comes to the average ‘door to needle’ time for stroke patients. Picture: iStock

More than 90 per cent of Australian hospitals missed a crucial stroke target last year, taking too long to give patients a lifesaving, clot-busting drug that can prevent permanent disability.

Only five of the 61 hospitals surveyed on Australia’s biggest killer reported an average “door to needle” time under an hour, with patients in the UK and the US far more likely to receive the lifesaving drug, called Thrombolysis, on time.

Of the Australians given the drug last year, two-thirds ­waited more than an hour at hospital – their clot killing more brain cells with every passing minute – for the drug, with the average patient waiting 74 minutes.

Only 12 per cent of patients who had an ischaemic stroke received the drug – well short of the 19 per cent goal – with the Australian Stroke Clinical Registry annual report finding “access has stagnated since 2019”.

The report shows hospitals have a long way to go to meet the targets by 2030 – agreed to earlier this year – with more than three out of four eligible patients missing out on Thrombolysis even though they arrived at hospital within the crucial 4.5 hour window.

Strokes are time-sensitive, but treatment cannot be given until the type of stroke is ­diagnosed.

The report also found one in four patients were not treated in a stroke unit and that every hospital, bar one, took too long to start clot retrieval surgery and recorded a median “door to puncture” time above the 90-minute target.

One in three patients reported moderate to severe ­disability.

The Florey Institute AuSCR data custodian and Monash University professor Dominique Cadilhac said more than 2000 disability adjusted life years would be saved if Australia met the targets, with more than 60 per cent of patients in the UK and US who receive a clot-busting drug treated on time.

“We can’t keep going like this,” Professor Cadilhac said.

“If they can do it … we should be able to achieve those targets.

“When things go right, you get great outcomes.”

She said the registry’s data was making a difference, pointing to the Alfred Hospital, which successfully boosted stroke patient discharge prescription rates for important preventive medications after learning they were below the average in 2021.

Cranbourne’s Erna Cole, 73, had a “terrifying” stroke three months ago, but has made a ­recovery thanks to timely care from Ambulance Victoria’s specialised paramedics and ­Alfred Hospital.

Ms Cole said she wished everyone could receive the care she did and also credited her friend for recognising the signs (drooping face, difficulty talking and weak arm).

“I am eternally grateful,” she said. “I’m fluent in three languages and have got them all back.”

Originally published as Australian hospitals taking too long to start clot retrieval surgery, report finds