Stroke, or acute cerebral accident, is a sudden onset brain damage that manifests with neurological symptoms that vary depending on the area of the brain affected. Although it is much more common in adults, it can also occur in pediatric age.
In 2020, the Department of Health established the pediatric stroke code, an emergency protocol aimed at providing rapid and specialized care to patients under 15 years of age with suspicion of this disease. From the beginning, Parc Taulí has been part of the network of centers specialized in pediatrics for activating the pediatric stroke code and is one of the three reference centers, along with Hospital Vall d'Hebron and Hospital Sant Joan de Déu, as they are centers that have highly complex treatment, such as endovascular treatment and pediatric neurosurgery,
"The stroke code is activated when there is a sudden neurological focality that can be: weakness in a limb, tingling sensation, difficulty speaking or a very intense headache with vomiting; however, in young children the clinical picture can be more non-specific such as decreased level of consciousness, convulsions and, often, this makes the diagnosis more complicated and late.", explains Dr. Montse Garcia, neuropediatrician at Parc Taulí. In one of the 60-70% of cases, the stroke is not confirmed, but there are many other pathologies that can manifest with similar clinical symptoms, such as migraine with aura; seizure with posterior paresis... and this is what we know as mimic stroke.
The Adult Neurology service at Parc Taulí is part of the pediatric stroke team to help coordinate the circuit. “We have a lot of experience in the exploration and diagnosis of patients with stroke, but in pediatric age it is very rare. In adults, it is a pathology that we see and treat daily, we contribute our knowledge with clinical diagnosis, imaging tests, time, possible causes”, points out Dr. Georgina Figueras, adult neurologist and specialist in neurovascular pathology.
Last November, the team of neuropediatricians at Parc Taulí received a call from the EMS activating the pediatric stroke code, due to the suspicion of a possible stroke. The patient was a 14-year-old boy from Parets del Vallès who, when his mother woke up, saw that he was behaving differently, “tHe had little mobility in his arm and couldn't put on his sweater, his smile was crooked. I quickly called 112 and told them I suspected my son was having a stroke.”, recalls Elisabet, Marc's mother.
"Once at the hospital, a rapid assessment was made by pediatrics and neurology and he was transferred to have an urgent magnetic resonance imaging. It was determined that he had an ischemic stroke due to an arterial occlusion. The neurointerventional radiologist, who was already pre-alert, then performed endovascular treatment, performing a thrombectomy, which was effective.”, explains Dr. Carme Torrents, Neuropediatrician who treated Marc.
Ischemic strokes have two possible treatments, depending on the time of onset. If it occurs within the first four and a half hours, intravenous treatment can be performed. If it occurs longer and a series of criteria are met, the treatment must be endovascular. In Marc's case, as it was when he woke up, it was not known exactly when it had started. Therefore, the professionals decided to perform a thrombectomy.
"Marc was the first case of pediatric ischemic stroke at Parc Taulí in which we were able to perform acute, endovascular treatment, involving interventional radiology and anesthesia. This is a very common procedure in adults, but not often in pediatrics and is the first case to be performed at Parc Taulí since the Department of Health established the pediatric stroke code. At this time, 13 pediatric cases have been registered in Catalonia in which endovascular treatment has been performed, including Marc's.”, recalls Dr. Torrents.
After a week of hospitalization, Marc was discharged. Now, he only has to return to the hospital for routine medical follow-up with the neuropediatricians and monitor the secondary preventive treatment prescribed with anticoagulant to prevent him from suffering another stroke in the future.
Parc Taulí is a leading center in stroke patient care to offer comprehensive assistance and quality care to the patient. The professionals who are part of the Stroke Code Unit work to minimize the time from the appearance of symptoms to their diagnosis and treatment.
This 2025 has been distinguished as a center of expertise in stroke patient care with the distinction of Stroke Center of the European Stroke Organization (ESO). And since 2023, the Stroke Code Unit of Parc Taulí has been part of the European registry ResQ (Registry of Stroke Care Quality), developed within the framework of the European Stroke Organization.
