Specialist pre-hospital redirection for ischaemic stroke thrombectomy (SPEEDY)
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN77453332 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN77453332 |
| ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT) | Nil known |
| Clinical Trials Information System (CTIS) | Nil known |
| Integrated Research Application System (IRAS) | 312053 |
| Protocol serial number | CPMS 53148, IRAS 312053 |
| Sponsor | Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust |
| Funder | NIHR Central Commissioning Facility (CCF); Grant Codes: NIHR202361 |
- Submission date
- 25/07/2022
- Registration date
- 12/08/2022
- Last edited
- 04/11/2025
- Recruitment status
- Recruiting
- Overall study status
- Ongoing
- Condition category
- Circulatory System
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Stroke is a common medical emergency and time-critical treatments reduce the chance of disability or death. About 1 in 10 patients are suitable for an emergency operation to remove blood clots blocking large arteries in the brain (known as thrombectomy) which greatly improves their chances of recovery. However, this operation is only available at specialist regional hospitals and unless patients live nearby, they are first admitted to their local hospital and must be transferred for treatment. A transfer typically delays thrombectomy by at least 90 minutes and reduces its benefit. Faster treatment might occur if patients could attend specialist regional hospitals directly but at present no accurate assessment or portable test exists to guide ambulance staff to make a confident diagnosis of stroke, or to determine that thrombectomy is needed.
In an earlier research project, a specialist prehospital redirection pathway was developed which involves communication between ambulance practitioners and specialist hospital thrombectomy staff to decide whether the emergency operation is likely to be required, followed by direct admission to the specialist hospital if this is the case. This study will now test the impact of this new pathway.
Who can participate?
All suspected and confirmed acute stroke patients from participating geographical regions will be involved
What does the study involve?
Ambulance stations (work bases for ambulance practitioners) or ambulance staff teams will be assigned at random to use the new pathway or to continue with current standard care when attending suspected stroke patients. Data will be collected about thrombectomy treatments and other aspects of emergency medical care received which will be compared between the two groups.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
This study is testing whether a new emergency care pathway improves access to thrombectomy treatment for some people. The pathway may result in faster treatment and better recovery after stroke but this is not yet known.
Where is the study run from?
Newcastle University (UK)
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
August 2021 to July 2026
Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (UK)
Who is the main contact?
Dr Lisa Shaw, lisa.shaw@newcastle.ac.uk
Contact information
Scientific
Stroke Research Group
Population Health Sciences Institute
The Medical School
Newcastle University
Newcastle
NE2 4HH
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)191283826 |
|---|---|
| lisa.shaw@newcastle.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Randomized; Interventional; Design type: Process of Care, Complex Intervention, Management of Care |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | Specialist pre-hospital redirection for ischaemic stroke thrombectomy (SPEEDY): a cluster randomised controlled trial with included health economic and process evaluations |
| Study acronym | SPEEDY |
| Study objectives | The aim of the study is to determine the clinical and cost-effectiveness of a novel specialist prehospital redirection pathway intended to facilitate thrombectomy treatment for acute stroke. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Approved 26/06/2022, North East - Newcastle & North Tyneside 1 Research Ethics Committee (NHSBT Newcastle Blood Donor Centre, Holland Drive, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE2 4NQ, UK; +44 (0)207 1048091; newcastlenorthtyneside2.rec@hra.nhs.uk), ref: 22/NE/0103 |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Suspected and confirmed acute stroke |
| Intervention | This research study is a multicentre cluster randomised controlled trial with included health economic and process evaluations. The intervention to be evaluated is a new pathway which involves communication between ambulance and specialist hospital staff to select patients for direct admission to a specialist regional hospital who are likely to need emergency thrombectomy treatment. Clusters will be ambulance stations (work bases for ambulance practitioners) or ambulance staff teams which prior to the start of the study will be assigned at random to use the new pathway or to continue with current standard care when attending suspected stroke patients. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) | Data collected from routine healthcare sources throughout the study period: 1. Thrombectomy rate 2. The time from stroke symptom onset to thrombectomy (when thrombectomy is received) |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) | Data collected from routine healthcare sources throughout the study period: 1. Key emergency care time intervals 2. Receipt of and time to thrombolysis treatment 3. Stroke severity 24 hours post reperfusion treatment (NIHSS) 4. Length of hospital stay 5. Dependency at discharge (mRS) |
| Completion date | 31/07/2026 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Mixed |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 80000 |
| Key inclusion criteria | 1. An ambulance practitioner from a randomised station/team attended the incident 2. Conveyance was to either a local stroke hospital which refers patients to the participating specialist regional hospital, or directly to the participating specialist regional hospital 3. Acute stroke was suspected by the attending ambulance practitioner (i.e. Face, Arm, Speech Test (FAST) positive or any observed new focal neurological symptoms which indicated acute stroke according to the ambulance practitioner’s clinical judgement) OR acute stroke was diagnosed following arrival at a participating hospital irrespective of ambulance practitioner initial judgement of symptom cause |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet the inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/09/2022 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/12/2025 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centres
Goldcrest Way
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE15 8NY
United Kingdom
Freeman Road
High Heaton
Newcastle upon Tyne
NE7 7DN
United Kingdom
399 Chorley New Road
Bolton
BL1 5DD
United Kingdom
Sharoe Green Lane
Fulwood
Preston
PR2 9HT
United Kingdom
Stott Lane
Salford
Manchester
M6 8HD
United Kingdom
Waterfront Business Park
Dudley Road
Brierley Hill
DY5 1LX
United Kingdom
Stoke-on-trent
ST4 6QG
United Kingdom
Mindelsohn Way
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2GW
United Kingdom
Eagle Way
Exeter
EX2 7HY
United Kingdom
Southmead Road
Westbury-on-trym
Bristol
BS10 5NB
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not expected to be made available |
| IPD sharing plan | The datasets generated or analysed in this study are not expected to be made available due to governance regulations. |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HRA research summary | 28/06/2023 | No | No | ||
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
04/11/2025: Individual participant data (IPD) sharing plan added.
25/07/2022: Trial's existence confirmed by the NIHR.
