The Akershus Study of Ischemic Stroke and Thrombolysis -1

This observational study comprises consecutively patients with cerebrovascular diseases admitted to the Stroke Unit at Akershus University Hospital in Norway. Akershus University Hospital is the largest emergency care hospital in Norway and has a catchment area covering a population of 550.000, which is approximately 10 % of the Norwegian population and reasonably representative according to data from Statistics Norway. The hospital is public and serving both as a primary hospital and a university hospital. Due to the Norwegian, national, all-covering health-insurance, all patients enter the hospital and are considered for further in-patient care on the same conditions. The hospital has a stroke unit classified as a comprehensive stroke center according to European Stroke Organisation standards. Acute stroke management follows national and international guidelines. Overall, the ASIST-1 study will investigate management, outcome and prognosis of stroke and stroke care pathways and later follow up in primary care using several approaches combining existing clinical data from a representative population with different Norwegian health registries. Parts of the study are retrospective with prospective follow-up by health registries and parts of the study are prospective.