DTN

Medical abbreviation · Neurology

DTN stands for Door-to-needle time, a neurology abbreviation.

Interval from a stroke patient's arrival at the hospital to the start of intravenous thrombolysis, a key quality measure for stroke programs. The American Heart Association's Target: Stroke initiative set a goal of 60 minutes or less for most patients, with later phases adding 45- and 30-minute goals.

Example: Median DTN this quarter is 34 minutes after we started taking stroke patients straight from the ambulance to CT.

Usage notes

Every minute of untreated large-vessel stroke destroys an estimated 1.9 million neurons, the basis of the slogan "time is brain." Strategies that reduce DTN include prehospital notification, direct-to-CT protocols, mixing drugs in advance and having thrombolysis given in the scanner. In heart attack care, door-to-needle time for fibrinolysis has a target of 30 minutes.

Related abbreviations

More neurology abbreviations

• DAI – Diffuse axonal injury
• DBS – Deep brain stimulation
• DCI – Delayed cerebral ischemia
• DLB – Dementia with Lewy bodies
• DMD – Duchenne muscular dystrophy
• DMT – Disease-modifying therapy
• DTR – Deep tendon reflex
• EDH – Epidural hematoma
• EDS – Excessive daytime sleepiness
• EDSS – Expanded Disability Status Scale
• EEG – Electroencephalogram
• EMG – Electromyography

See all 131 neurology abbreviations →

Edited by the AbbreviationList.com team. Spotted an error or a missing meaning? Contact us.

This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.