Introduction: The Challenge of Long-Term Post-Stroke Care
The acute management of stroke has seen revolutionary advances over the last decade, particularly with the widespread implementation of thrombectomy and thrombolysis. However, the long-term management of survivors, specifically the prevention of functional decline after the initial rehabilitation phase, remains a significant clinical challenge. While the Stroke Action Plan for Europe (SAP-E) recommends coordinated support and long-term follow-up, the empirical evidence supporting specific multimodal interventions has been historically sparse. The LAST-long trial was designed to address this evidence gap by evaluating whether a coordinator-led, individualized intervention could mitigate dependency and functional loss in a population vulnerable to decline.