39 research outputs found
Clinical benefit of improved Prehospital stroke scales to detect stroke patients with large vessel occlusions: results from a conditional probabilistic model
Background Clinical scales to detect large vessel occlusion (LVO) may help to determine the optimal transport destination for patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke (AIS). The clinical benefit associated with improved diagnostic accuracy of these scales has not been quantified. Methods We used a previously reported conditional model to estimate the probability of good outcome (modified Rankin scale sore ≤2) for patients with AIS and unknown vessel status occurring in regions with greater proximity to a primary than to a comprehensive stroke center. Optimal rapid arterial occlusion evaluation (RACE) scale cutoff scores were calculated based on time-dependent effect-size estimates from recent randomized controlled trials. Probabilities of good outcome were compared between a triage strategy based on these cutoffs and a strategy based on a hypothetical perfect LVO detection tool with 100% diagnostic accuracy. Results In our model, the additional benefit of a perfect LVO detection tool as compared to optimal transport-time dependent RACE cutoff scores ranges from 0 to 5%. It is largest for patients with medium stroke symptom severity (RACE score 5) and in geographic environments with longer transfer time between the primary and comprehensive stroke center. Conclusion Based on a probabilistic conditional model, the results of our simulation indicate that more accurate prehospital clinical LVO detections scales may be associated with only modest improvements in the expected probability of good outcome for patients with suspected acute ischemic stroke and unknown vessel status
Multivariate CARMA processes, continuous-time state space models and complete regularity of the innovations of the sampled processes
The class of multivariate L\'{e}vy-driven autoregressive moving average
(MCARMA) processes, the continuous-time analogs of the classical vector ARMA
processes, is shown to be equivalent to the class of continuous-time state
space models. The linear innovations of the weak ARMA process arising from
sampling an MCARMA process at an equidistant grid are proved to be
exponentially completely regular (-mixing) under a mild continuity
assumption on the driving L\'{e}vy process. It is verified that this continuity
assumption is satisfied in most practically relevant situations, including the
case where the driving L\'{e}vy process has a non-singular Gaussian component,
is compound Poisson with an absolutely continuous jump size distribution or has
an infinite L\'{e}vy measure admitting a density around zero.Comment: Published in at http://dx.doi.org/10.3150/10-BEJ329 the Bernoulli
(http://isi.cbs.nl/bernoulli/) by the International Statistical
Institute/Bernoulli Society (http://isi.cbs.nl/BS/bshome.htm
Quasi maximum likelihood estimation for strongly mixing state space models and multivariate L\'evy-driven CARMA processes
We consider quasi maximum likelihood (QML) estimation for general
non-Gaussian discrete-ime linear state space models and equidistantly observed
multivariate L\'evy-driven continuoustime autoregressive moving average
(MCARMA) processes. In the discrete-time setting, we prove strong consistency
and asymptotic normality of the QML estimator under standard moment assumptions
and a strong-mixing condition on the output process of the state space model.
In the second part of the paper, we investigate probabilistic and analytical
properties of equidistantly sampled continuous-time state space models and
apply our results from the discrete-time setting to derive the asymptotic
properties of the QML estimator of discretely recorded MCARMA processes. Under
natural identifiability conditions, the estimators are again consistent and
asymptotically normally distributed for any sampling frequency. We also
demonstrate the practical applicability of our method through a simulation
study and a data example from econometrics
First-passage percolation on width-two stretches with exponential link weights
We consider the first-passage percolation problem on effectively
one-dimensional graphs with vertex set {1,...,n}\times{0,1} and
translation-invariant edge-structure. For three of six non-trivial cases we
obtain exact expressions for the asymptotic percolation rate \chi\ by solving
certain recursive distributional equations and invoking results from ergodic
theory to identify \chi\ as the expected asymptotic one-step growth of the
first-passage time from (0,0) to (n,0).Comment: 10 pages, one tabl
Pre-hospital Triage of Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients—Importance of Considering More Than Two Transport Options
Background: Patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and large vessel occlusion benefit from rapid access to mechanical thrombectomy in addition to intravenous thrombolysis. Prehospital triage algorithms to determine the optimal transport destination for AIS patients with unknown vessel status have so far only considered two alternatives: the nearest comprehensive (CSC) and the nearest primary stroke center (PSC). Objective: This study explores the importance of considering a larger number of PSCs during pre-hospital triage of AIS patients. Methods: Analysis was performed in random two-dimensional abstract geographic stroke care infrastructure environments and two models based on real-world geographic scenarios. Transport times to CSCs and PSCs were calculated to define sub-regions with specific triage properties. Possible transport destinations included the nearest CSC, the nearest PSC, and any of the remaining PSCs that are not closest to the scene, but transport to which would imply a shorter total time-to-CSC-via-PSC. Results: In abstract geographic environments, themedian relative size of the sub-region where a triage decision is required ranged from 34 to 92%. The median relative size of the sub-region where more than two triage options need to be considered ranged from 0 to 56%. The achievable reduction in time-to-thrombectomy (“benefit”) exceeded the increase in time-to-thrombolysis (“harm”) by a factor of 2 in 30.5–37.0%of the sub-region where more than two triage options need to be considered. Results were confirmed in geographic environments based on real-world urban and rural stroke care infrastructures. Conclusion: Pre-hospital triage algorithms for AIS patients that only take into account the nearest CSC and the nearest PSC as transport destinations may be unable to identify the optimal transport destination for a significant proportion of patients