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Study: 1 of 3 stroke patients don’t call ambulance

Posted at 6:33 PM, May 01, 2013
and last updated 2013-05-01 19:05:24-04

RICHMOND, Va – One out of three stroke victims don’t call an ambulance to get to the hospital.

That’s according to a study in the journal Circulation.

Researchers followed more than 200,000 patients at more than 1,500 U.S. hospitals.

They found people who took an ambulance were about 50 percent more likely to get a clot-busting drug within the recommended 3-hour window.

Younger stroke patients and minorities were least likely to call for an ambulance.