About this Research Topic
Important note: If you wish to contribute a paper to this Research Topic, please submit an abstract for evaluation.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic not only affects the respiratory system, but also very likely the cardiovascular and neurological systems. The inevitable rush of COVID-19 patients in emergency departments, and the re-allocation of neurology wards and neuro-intensive beds to COVID-19 patients may affect the capacity of care for other emergencies, including neurological disorders, but may also affect the management of chronic neurological conditions. In this Research Topic we, therefore, aim to investigate the consequences and changes in neurological care caused by and following the pandemic. This includes not only neurological emergencies, but also consequences to the management of relapses in chronic neurological diseases, efficiency of telemedicine, alternatives to healthcare of neurodegenerative disorders, and the management of neurological care programs and clinical trials, among others. This will also include a special focus on the impact of COVID-19 in the stroke field. The diagnostic workup, medical treatment, neuro-interventional and surgical procedures, and long-term secondary prevention of stroke or other cerebrovascular conditions may also be severely affected because of resource re-allocation under the current emergency situation. Quick adaptation and advanced deployment are strongly needed by vascular neurologists and allied healthcare professionals who care for patients with stroke or other cerebrovascular diseases.
Responding to the current need, it is important to develop a platform to expeditiously share how the field of neurology should respond and be reshaped under the threat and uncertainty of COVID-19.
This Research Topic specifically welcomes articles that will help the scientific community reach conclusions on, but not limited to:
1. Pre-hospital management of acute stroke: triage, hub and spoke, telemedicine;
2. Adaptation of management of acute ischemic stroke: protocol and pathway at emergency rooms, imaging, other diagnostic workups, intravenous thrombolysis, and endovascular thrombectomy;
3. Adaptation of management of subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage;
4. COVID-19 as an indirect cause of stroke, for example via myocardial injury, general inflammation, or effects on hemostasis;
5. Impact of COVID-19 crisis on admissions for stroke and transient ischemic attacks, and other neuroepidemiological observations;
6. Adaptation of stroke unit care and secondary prevention after discharge, including post-stroke outpatient follow-up;
7. Management of relapses of chronic neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis, during periods of confinement;
8. Management of biological sample collection, such as CSF or pathology/biopsy samples;
9. Alternatives to healthcare centers, such as dementia care hospitals;
10. Effectiveness and performance of neurologist-patient delivery of telemedicine and e-care;
11. Adaptation in the management of ongoing or in-development clinical trials and consequences on neurological programs;
12. Prevention of bias in online research;
13. Policy and public health perspectives.
Under this emergent situation, we welcome original research, as well as:
• Important case report and case series, to share experiences of treating patients with COVID-19, in neurological wards;
• Perspective / panorama: the re-organization of systems of neurological care in different countries under their healthcare systems;
• Methodology description of registry / clinical trial protocol;
• Narrative and Comprehensive review.
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic not only affects the respiratory system, but also very likely the cardiovascular and neurological systems. The inevitable rush of COVID-19 patients in emergency departments, and the re-allocation of neurology wards and neuro-intensive beds to COVID-19 patients may affect the capacity of care for other emergencies, including neurological disorders, but may also affect the management of chronic neurological conditions. In this Research Topic we, therefore, aim to investigate the consequences and changes in neurological care caused by and following the pandemic. This includes not only neurological emergencies, but also consequences to the management of relapses in chronic neurological diseases, efficiency of telemedicine, alternatives to healthcare of neurodegenerative disorders, and the management of neurological care programs and clinical trials, among others. This will also include a special focus on the impact of COVID-19 in the stroke field. The diagnostic workup, medical treatment, neuro-interventional and surgical procedures, and long-term secondary prevention of stroke or other cerebrovascular conditions may also be severely affected because of resource re-allocation under the current emergency situation. Quick adaptation and advanced deployment are strongly needed by vascular neurologists and allied healthcare professionals who care for patients with stroke or other cerebrovascular diseases.
Responding to the current need, it is important to develop a platform to expeditiously share how the field of neurology should respond and be reshaped under the threat and uncertainty of COVID-19.
This Research Topic specifically welcomes articles that will help the scientific community reach conclusions on, but not limited to:
1. Pre-hospital management of acute stroke: triage, hub and spoke, telemedicine;
2. Adaptation of management of acute ischemic stroke: protocol and pathway at emergency rooms, imaging, other diagnostic workups, intravenous thrombolysis, and endovascular thrombectomy;
3. Adaptation of management of subarachnoid or intracerebral hemorrhage;
4. COVID-19 as an indirect cause of stroke, for example via myocardial injury, general inflammation, or effects on hemostasis;
5. Impact of COVID-19 crisis on admissions for stroke and transient ischemic attacks, and other neuroepidemiological observations;
6. Adaptation of stroke unit care and secondary prevention after discharge, including post-stroke outpatient follow-up;
7. Management of relapses of chronic neurological disorders such as Multiple Sclerosis, during periods of confinement;
8. Management of biological sample collection, such as CSF or pathology/biopsy samples;
9. Alternatives to healthcare centers, such as dementia care hospitals;
10. Effectiveness and performance of neurologist-patient delivery of telemedicine and e-care;
11. Adaptation in the management of ongoing or in-development clinical trials and consequences on neurological programs;
12. Prevention of bias in online research;
13. Policy and public health perspectives.
Under this emergent situation, we welcome original research, as well as:
• Important case report and case series, to share experiences of treating patients with COVID-19, in neurological wards;
• Perspective / panorama: the re-organization of systems of neurological care in different countries under their healthcare systems;
• Methodology description of registry / clinical trial protocol;
• Narrative and Comprehensive review.
Keywords: COVID-19, Neurology, Stroke, Care, Coronavirus
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
