Abstract WP372: Screening For Large Vessel Occlusion - Comparing the Accuracies of the VAN Screening Tool and NIHSS

Background: Our five-hospital Comprehensive Stroke Program utilizes a large vessel occlusion (LVO) triage that includes NIHSS ≥ 10 and last known well (LKW) < 6 hours. It was determined that a more effective triage for patients with LVO was needed. The vision, aphasia, and neglect (VAN) screening tool has been validated as an effective tool to assess for LVO. An NIHSS ≥ 6 has also been shown to have reasonable accuracy. Purpose: To compare the accuracies of the VAN screening tool and NIHSS ≥ 6 for identification of LVO in our emergency departments. Methods: A retrospective chart review of patients who arrived within 6 hours of LKW over a 4-month period was conducted. The NIHSS was completed by both the nurse (RN) and tele-stroke neurologist (physician) and was reviewed for components of the VAN screening tool to determine if patients were VAN positive or negative. The ability to identify LVO patients using the VAN screening tool was compared to NIHSS of ≥ 6. Results: Of the 111 patients that arrived withi...