Enrique Leira, MD, MS, director of the Division of Cerebrovascular Disease in the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine Department of Neurology and Head of the UI Health Care Comprehensive Stroke Center, was among a group of leaders in stroke care research who published early recommendations for stroke care during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Preserving stroke care during the COVID-19 pandemic: Potential issues and solutions,” published online May 8, 2020, in Neurology, outlines the many challenges the pandemic presents in terms of the delivery of acute stroke care, ethical considerations, safety and logistic issues for providers, and research.

The authors urge stroke care providers to advocate for stroke patients while taking into consideration the overall needs of caring for the community and the safety of providers. They also emphasize that there are not yet any universally established solutions to problems arising from the crisis.

“As we move forward in providing stroke care in the context of the pandemic,” the authors advise, “we will need to rely on prediction modeling and surge planning to inform our adaptation to best serve all of our patients.”