Treatment first, transport second: rethinking stroke management with mobile stroke units—A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials - Takeaways - MDSpire
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Prioritizing Treatment Over Transport: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Controlled Trials on Mobile Stroke Units in Stroke Management

  • By

  • Aishah Ibrahim Albakr

  • Ziyad Masoud Alqahtani

  • Abdulmonem Mohammed AlSharidah

  • Adel Abdalla Zeidan

  • Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Ibrahim

  • Mohammed Abdulmonem Al Zaher

  • Khurshid Khan

  • September 3, 2026

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  • 1

    Mobile stroke units (MSUs) significantly reduced critical time intervals in acute stroke care by a median of 26.3 minutes compared to traditional emergency medical services.

  • 2

    The analysis included 10 studies with a total of 13,110 patients, demonstrating the effectiveness of MSUs in improving time-sensitive outcomes.

  • 3

    No significant differences were found in safety outcomes, such as intracerebral hemorrhage and mortality, between MSUs and traditional EMS.

  • 4

    Subgroup analysis indicated that having a neurologist onboard did not significantly impact outcomes compared to remote neurologist configurations.

  • 5

    The findings suggest that MSUs can provide timely treatment while maintaining safety, potentially offering a cost-effective model for stroke management.

Original Source(s)

Treatment first, transport second: rethinking stroke management with mobile stroke units—A systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled trials

  • by Aishah Ibrahim Albakr, Ziyad Masoud Alqahtani, Abdulmonem Mohammed AlSharidah, Adel Abdalla Zeidan, Ahmed Abdulrahman Al Ibrahim, Mohammed Abdulmonem Al Zaher, Khurshid Khan

  • September 3, 2026

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