Background and purpose Spain has been one of the countries heavily stricken by COVID-19. But this epidemic has not affected all regions equally. We analyzed the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on hospital stroke admissions and in-hospital mortality in tertiary referral hospitals from North-West Spain. Methods Spanish multicenter retrospective observational study based on data from tertiary hospitals of the NORDICTUS network. We recorded the number of patients admitted for ischemic stroke between 30 December 2019 and 3 May 2020, the number of IVT and EVT procedures, and in-hospital mortality. Results In the study period, 2737 patients were admitted with ischemic stroke. There was a decrease in the weekly mean admitted patients during the pandemic (124 vs. 173, p<0.001). In-hospital mortality of stroke patients increased significantly (9.9% vs. 6.5%, p = 0.003), but there were no differences in the proportion of IVT (17.3% vs. 16.1%, p = 0.405) or EVT (22% vs. 23%, p = 0.504). Conclusion We found a decrease in the number of ischemic stroke admissions and an increase in in-hospital mortality during the COVID-19 epidemic in this large study from North-West Spain. There were regional changes within the network, not fully explained by the severity of the pandemic in different regions.

Background and purpose Spain has been one of the countries more heavily stricken by SARS‐CoV‐2, which has had huge implications for stroke care. The aim was to analyse the impact of the COVID‐19 epidemic outbreak on reperfusion therapies for acute ischaemic stroke in the northwest of Spain. Methods This was a Spanish multicentre retrospective observational study based on data from tertiary hospitals of the NORDICTUS network. All patients receiving reperfusion therapy for ischaemic stroke between 30 December 2019 and 3 May 2020 were recorded, and their baseline, clinical and radiological characteristics, extra‐ and intra‐hospital times of action, Code Stroke activation pathway, COVID‐19 status, reperfusion rate, and short‐term outcome before and after the setting of the emergency state were analysed. Results A total of 796 patients received reperfusion therapies for ischaemic stroke. There was a decrease in the number of patients treated per week (46.5 patients per week vs. 39.0 patients per week, P = 0.043) and a delay in out‐of‐hospital (95.0 vs. 110.0 min, P = 0.001) and door‐to‐needle times (51.0 vs. 55.0, P = 0.038). Patients receiving endovascular therapy obtained less successful reperfusion rates (92.9% vs. 86.6%, P = 0.016). COVID‐19 patients had more in‐hospital mortality. Conclusion A decrease in the number of patients benefiting from reperfusion therapies was found, with a delay in out‐of‐hospital and door‐to‐needle times and worse reperfusion rates in northwest Spain. COVID‐19 patients had more in‐hospital mortality.

Background and purposeStroke assistance is facing changes and new challenges since COVID‐19 became pandemic. A variation on the patient influx might be one of the greater concerns, due to fewer people coming to emergency departments or coming too late. However, no data quantifying this have been published until now. The aim was to analyse the impact of the COVID‐19 epidemic outbreak on hospital stroke admissions and their characteristics in our region.MethodsThe data of every patient admitted to any hospital of our healthcare system with a diagnosis of ischaemic stroke between 30 December 2019 and 19 April 2020 were reviewed. Demographic and clinical data were recorded and compared between periods before and after the setting of the state of emergency secondary to the COVID‐19 outbreak.ResultsIn total, 354 patients with ischaemic stroke were admitted in our study period. There was a weekly average of 27.5 cases before the setting of the state of emergency against 12 afterwards (P < 0.001). This drop in stroke cases occurred progressively from week 11, persisting in time despite the decrease in confirmed cases of COVID‐19. No differences in the proportion of intravenous thrombolysis (21.1% vs. 21.5%, P = 0.935) or endovascular therapy (12.4% vs. 15.2%, P = 0.510) were found, nor in other demographic or clinical characteristics except for median onset‐to‐door time (102 vs. 183 min, P = 0.015).ConclusionsThis observational study offers the perspective of a whole region in one of the countries more heavily stricken by the SARS‐CoV‐2 epidemic and shows that the decrease of stroke events, since the beginning of the COVID‐19 outbreak, happened globally and without any specific patient distribution.

A través del siguiente trabajo de investigación, se indica los resultados obtenidos de la introducción de residuos generados por el propio sector cerámico, como es la chamota procedente de tiesto cocido de gres porcelánico y tiesto crudo, lodos y agua procedente de las diferentes operaciones de limpieza, así como también residuos procedentes de otros sectores, como ha sido el vidrio procedente de su reciclado, todo ello, para obtener una baldosa ecológica integral, diseñando para ello un engobe y un esmalte con dichos residuos. Palabras clave: materias primas, vidrio reciclado, cerámica roja/blanca, esmaltes, propiedades mecánicas. Development of New Ecological Ceramic Tiles by Recycling of Waste Glass and Ceramic MaterialsThe following research work shows the results of the introduction of waste generated by the ceramic industry, such as the calcined clay from fired porcelain of stoneware and raw biscuit, sludge and cleaning water, as well as waste from other sectors like the recycling glass. In this way, it can be obtained a stoneware porcelain slab, engobe-glaze and satin glaze that contains high percentage of recyclable raw materials. Keywords: Raw materials, recycling glass, red/white ceramic, glazes, mechanical properties INTRODUCCIÓNActualmente, el reciclar los productos que consumimos, se ha convertido en una fuerte necesidad de cara a poder optimizar el consumo de los recursos naturales y al mismo tiempo, el no contaminar con los desechos que se producen con dichos residuos y salvaguardar el medioambiente. Así, tenemos que aprender a reciclar y a saber fabricar con la introducción de los residuos en el proceso industrial (1,2).Con respecto a la industria cerámica española, en los últimos años se vive un periodo de crisis e incertidumbres para el sector, el cual ha pasado a una producción inferior a la mitad en menos de tres años. Dicha crisis también puede abrir nuevas oportunidades para el sector, mediante el desarrollo y fabricación de baldosas más respetuosas con el medio ambiente, baldosas ecológicas (3,4).En el caso del soporte cerámico de gres porcelánico, está constituido por una pasta procedente del proceso de atomización y cuyos componentes principales son: arcillas, feldespatos y cuarzo. Actualmente, es necesaria la utilización de arcillas de naturaleza caolinítica, muchas veces procedentes de terceros países (Ucrania, Reino Unido) y de feldespatos sódico-potásicos, también importados (Turquía). Con dicha composición se consigue una alta estabilidad dimensional y también un alto grado de gresificación (muy baja porosidad). La introducción del vidrio reciclado en la pasta, puede aportar la fundencia complementaria al feldespato, junto con los lodos procedentes del reciclado del proceso industrial, así como también, se puede regular la estabilidad de la pasta, mediante la introducción de la chamota del reciclado del tiesto del gres porcelánico (5-15). Además algunos trabajos consideran que la introducción del residuo de vidrio reciclado en la formulación del gres porcelánico puede reducir la te...

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