scholarly journals B.01 Predictors of dysphagia screening after acute ischemic stroke: Who gets tested?

Author(s):  
RA Joundi ◽  
R Martino ◽  
G Saposnik ◽  
J Fang ◽  
V Giannakeas ◽  
...  

Background: Dysphagia is a devastating complication of stroke and can lead to malnutrition, immobility, aspiration pneumonia, and death. Guidelines advocate screening all patients with acute stroke for swallowing impairment. However, previous research suggests only 60% are screened, and it is unclear what factors contribute to receiving dysphagia screening. Methods: We used the Ontario Stroke Registry to identify patients who were admitted to Regional Stroke Centres from 2010-2013. We used multivariable regression to identify predictors of receiving a dysphagia screen within 72 hours. Results: Among 7172 patients with acute ischemic stroke, 1705 patients (23.8%) did not undergo screening. Factors increasing the odds of being tested were: Stroke unit admission (adjusted odds ratio aOR 6.5), presenting with speech deficits (aOR 1.9) or weakness (aOR 1.5), or receiving thrombolysis (aOR 1.9). Seizure (aOR 0.49) and mild stroke (aOR 0.59 vs moderate stroke) decreased the odds of being tested. Among those with mild strokes who received a swallowing screen, 33% failed. *All p<0.0001. Conclusions: Patients with mild stroke are at risk of not being screened for dysphagia, despite a significant fail rate among those tested. This may expose untested patients to a higher risk of complications from dysphagia, and suggests a gap in process of care that should be addressed.

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Xian ◽  
Haolin Xu ◽  
Eric E. Smith ◽  
Jeffrey L. Saver ◽  
Mathew J. Reeves ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: The benefits of tPA (tissue-type plasminogen activator) in acute ischemic stroke are time-dependent. However, delivery of thrombolytic therapy rapidly after hospital arrival was initially occurring infrequently in hospitals in the United States, discrepant with national guidelines. Methods: We evaluated door-to-needle (DTN) times and clinical outcomes among patients with acute ischemic stroke receiving tPA before and after initiation of 2 successive nationwide quality improvement initiatives: Target: Stroke Phase I (2010–2013) and Target: Stroke Phase II (2014–2018) from 913 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke hospitals in the United States between April 2003 and September 2018. Results: Among 154 221 patients receiving tPA within 3 hours of stroke symptom onset (median age 72 years, 50.1% female), median DTN times decreased from 78 minutes (interquartile range, 60–98) preintervention, to 66 minutes (51–87) during Phase I, and 50 minutes (37–66) during Phase II ( P <0.001). Proportions of patients with DTN ≤60 minutes increased from 26.4% to 42.7% to 68.6% ( P <0.001). Proportions of patients with DTN ≤45 minutes increased from 10.1% to 17.7% to 41.4% ( P <0.001). By the end of the second intervention, 75.4% and 51.7% patients achieved 60-minute and 45-minute DTN goals. Compared with the preintervention period, hospitals during the second intervention period (2014–2018) achieved higher rates of tPA use (11.7% versus 5.6%; adjusted odds ratio, 2.43 [95% CI, 2.31–2.56]), lower in-hospital mortality (6.0% versus 10.0%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.69 [0.64–0.73]), fewer bleeding complication (3.4% versus 5.5%; adjusted odds ratio, 0.68 [0.62–0.74]), and higher rates of discharge to home (49.6% versus 35.7%; adjusted odds ratio, 1.43 [1.38–1.50]). Similar findings were found in sensitivity analyses of 185 501 patients receiving tPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset. Conclusions: A nationwide quality improvement program for acute ischemic stroke was associated with substantial improvement in the timeliness of thrombolytic therapy start, increased thrombolytic treatment, and improved clinical outcomes.


Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrin Connelly ◽  
Rishi Gupta ◽  
Raul Nogueira ◽  
Arthur Yancey ◽  
Alexander Isakov ◽  
...  

Purpose: To standardize the care of acute stroke patients who receive IV tPA being transported by ground EMS from a treating hospital to a stroke center. Background: National consensus guidelines exist for the hospital management of patients receiving IV tPA for acute ischemic stroke. Such patients require close monitoring and management to minimize risk of clinical deterioration. Although patients are often emergently transported from local hospitals to a stroke center, there are no treatment specific national guidelines for managing such patients enroute. As a result, there is a need to develop and implement a standardized approach to guide EMS personnel, particularly in states like Georgia where the public health burden of stroke is high. Methods: In 2012, the “Georgia EMS Interfacility Ground Transport Protocol for Patients during/after IV tPA Administration for Acute Ischemic Stroke” was developed in conjunction with the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry, the Georgia State Office of EMS, a representative group of Georgia hospitals and EMS providers. Stakeholders were brought together with the goal of creating a unified statewide protocol. The intent was to create a streamlined protocol which could be readily implemented by pre-hospital care providers. Results: Stakeholders discussed challenges and opportunities to change the process of pre-hospital care. Challenges included recognition of the broad diversity of EMS providers representing over 250 agencies in the state. Opportunities included establishing the framework for greater collaboration across organizations and providers. The final protocol was endorsed by both the Georgia Coverdell Acute Stroke Registry and the State Office of EMS, and distributed to all EMS regions in Georgia. EMS agencies are currently implementing the protocol. Conclusion: Engaging a diverse group of statewide stakeholders to develop a new treatment protocol enhances success in implementation and serves to further the public health mission of improving care of acute stroke patients.


2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (7) ◽  
pp. 670-677
Author(s):  
Xia Wang ◽  
Jingwei Li ◽  
Tom J Moullaali ◽  
Keon-Joo Lee ◽  
Beom Joon Kim ◽  
...  

Objective To investigate the comparative efficacy and safety of the low-dose versus standard-dose alteplase using real-world acute stroke registry data from Asian countries. Methods Individual participant data were obtained from nine acute stroke registries from China, Japan, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, and Taiwan between 2005 and 2018. Inverse probability of treatment weight was used to remove baseline imbalances between those receiving low-dose versus standard-dose alteplase. The primary outcome was death or disability defined by modified Rankin Scale scores of 2 to 6 at 90 days. Secondary outcomes were symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage and death. Generalized linear mixed models with the individual registry as a random intercept were performed to determine associations of treatment with low-dose alteplase and outcomes. Results Of the 6250 patients (mean age 66 years, 36% women) included in these analyses, 1610 (24%) were treated with low-dose intravenous alteplase. Clinical outcomes for low-dose alteplase were not significantly different to those for standard-dose alteplase, adjusted odds ratios for death or disability: 1.00 (0.85–1.19) and symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage 0.87 (0.63–1.19), except for lower death with borderline significance, 0.77 (0.59–1.01). Conclusions The present analyses of real-world Asian acute stroke registry data suggest that low-dose intravenous alteplase has overall comparable efficacy for functional recovery and greater potential safety in terms of reduced mortality, to standard-dose alteplase for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke.


2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1076-1079
Author(s):  
Ganesh Asaithambi ◽  
Xin Tong ◽  
Kamakshi Lakshminarayan ◽  
Sallyann M Coleman King ◽  
Mary G George

BackgroundRates of intra-arterial revascularization treatments (IAT) for acute ischemic stroke (AIS) are increasing in the USA. Using a multi-state stroke registry, we studied the trend in IAT use among patients with AIS over a period spanning 11 years. We examined the impact of IAT rates on hospital procedure volumes and patient outcome after stroke.MethodsWe used data from the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Program (PCNASP) and explored trends in IAT between 2008 and 2018. Patient outcomes were examined by rates of IAT procedures across hospitals. Specifically, outcomes were compared across low-volume (<15 IAT per year), medium-volume (15–30 IAT per year), and high-volume hospitals (>30 IAT per year). Favorable outcome was defined as discharge to home.ResultsThere were 612 958 patients admitted with AIS to 687 participating hospitals within the PCNASP during this study. Only 2.9% of patients (mean age 68.5 years, 49.3% women) received IAT. The percent of patients with AIS receiving IAT increased from 1% in 2008 to 5.3% in 2018 (p<0.001). The proportion of low-volume hospitals decreased over time (p<0.001), and the proportions of medium-volume (p=0.007) and high-volume hospitals (p<0.001) increased between 2008 and 2018. When compared with medium-volume hospitals, high-volume hospitals had a higher (p<0.0001) and low-volume hospitals had a lower (p<0.0001) percent of patients discharged to home.ConclusionHigh-volume hospitals were associated with a higher rate of favorable outcome. With the increased use of IAT among patients with AIS, the proportion of low-volume hospitals performing IAT significantly decreased.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 353
Author(s):  
Taek Min Nam ◽  
Ji Hwan Jang ◽  
Young Zoon Kim ◽  
Kyu Hong Kim ◽  
Seung Hwan Kim

Background and objective: Procedural thromboembolisms after mechanical thrombectomy (MT) for acute ischemic stroke has rarely been studied. We retrospectively evaluated factors associated with procedural thromboembolisms after MT using diffusion-weight imaging (DWI) within 2 days of MT. Materials and Methods: From January 2018 to March 2020, 78 patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent MT were evaluated using DWI. Procedural thromboembolisms were defined as new cerebral infarctions in other territories from the occluded artery on DWI after MT. Results: Procedural thromboembolisms were observed on DWI in 16 patients (20.5%). Procedural thromboembolisms were associated with old age (73.8 ± 8.18 vs. 66.8 ± 11.2 years, p = 0.021), intravenous (IV) thrombolysis (12 out of 16 (75.0%) vs. 25 out of 62 (40.3%), p = 0.023), heparinization (4 out of 16 (25.0%) vs. 37 out of 62 (59.7%), p = 0.023), and longer procedural time (90.9 ± 35.6 vs. 64.4 ± 33.0 min, p = 0.006). Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that procedural thromboembolisms were independently associated with procedural time (adjusted odds ratio (OR); 1.020, 95% confidence interval (CI); 1.002–1.039, p = 0.030) and IV thrombolysis (adjusted OR; 4.697, 95% CI; 1.223–18.042, p = 0.024). The cutoff value of procedural time for predicting procedural thromboembolisms was ≥71 min (area under the curve; 0.711, 95% CI; 0.570–0.851, p = 0.010). Conclusions: Procedural thromboembolisms after MT for acute ischemic stroke are significantly associated with longer procedural time and IV thrombolysis. This study suggests that patients with IV thrombolysis and longer procedural time (≥71 min) are at a higher risk of procedural thromboembolisms after MT for acute ischemic stroke.


Stroke ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 51 (11) ◽  
pp. 3205-3214
Author(s):  
Sophie A. van den Berg ◽  
Simone M. Uniken Venema ◽  
Maxim J.H.L. Mulder ◽  
Kilian M. Treurniet ◽  
Noor Samuels ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Optimal blood pressure (BP) targets before endovascular treatment (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke are unknown. We aimed to assess the relation between admission BP and clinical outcomes and successful reperfusion after EVT. Methods: We used data from the MR CLEAN (Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial of Endovascular Treatment for Acute Ischemic Stroke in the Netherlands) Registry, an observational, prospective, nationwide cohort study of patients with ischemic stroke treated with EVT in routine clinical practice in the Netherlands. Baseline systolic BP (SBP) and diastolic BP (DBP) were recorded on admission. The primary outcome was the score on the modified Rankin Scale at 90 days. Secondary outcomes included successful reperfusion (extended Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction score 2B-3), symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and 90-day mortality. Multivariable logistic and linear regression were used to assess the associations of SBP and DBP with outcomes. The relations between BPs and outcomes were tested for nonlinearity. Parameter estimates were calculated per 10 mm Hg increase or decrease in BP. Results: We included 3180 patients treated with EVT between March 2014 and November 2017. The relations between admission SBP and DBP with 90-day modified Rankin Scale scores and mortality were J-shaped, with inflection points around 150 and 81 mm Hg, respectively. An increase in SBP above 150 mm Hg was associated with poor functional outcome (adjusted common odds ratio, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.04–1.15]) and mortality at 90 days (adjusted odds ratio, 1.09 [95% CI, 1.03–1.16]). Following linear relationships, higher SBP was associated with a lower probability of successful reperfusion (adjusted odds ratio, 0.97 [95% CI, 0.94–0.99]) and with the occurrence of symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (adjusted odds ratio, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.99–1.13]). Results for DBP were largely similar. Conclusions: In patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with EVT, higher admission BP is associated with lower probability of successful reperfusion and with poor clinical outcomes. Further research is needed to investigate whether these patients benefit from BP reduction before EVT.


Neurology ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 10.1212/WNL.0000000000012827
Author(s):  
Adam de Havenon ◽  
Alicia Castonguay ◽  
Raul Nogueira ◽  
Thanh N. Nguyen ◽  
Joey English ◽  
...  

ObjectiveTo determine the impact of endovascular therapy for large vessel occlusion stroke in patients with pre-morbid disability versus those without.MethodsWe performed a post-hoc analysis of the TREVO Stent-Retriever Acute Stroke (TRACK) Registry, which collected data on 634 consecutive stroke patients treated with the Trevo device as first-line EVT at 23 centers in the United States. We included patients with internal carotid or middle cerebral (M1/M2 segment) artery occlusions and the study exposure was patient- or caregiver-reported premorbid modified Rank Scale (mRS) ≥2 (premorbid disability, PD) versus premorbid mRS score 0-1 (no premorbid disability, NPD). The primary outcome was no accumulated disability, defined as no increase in 90-day mRS from the patient’s pre-morbid mRS.ResultsOf the 634 patients in TRACK, 407 patients were included in our cohort, of which 53/407 (13.0%) had PD. The primary outcome of no accumulated disability was achieved in 37.7% (20/53) of patients with PD and 16.7% (59/354) of patients with NPD (p<0.001), while death occurred in 39.6% (21/53) and 14.1% (50/354) (p<0.001), respectively. The adjusted odds ratio of no accumulated disability for PD patients was 5.2 (95% CI 2.4-11.4, p<0.001) compared to patients with NPD. However, the adjusted odds ratio for death in PD patients was 2.90 (95% CI 1.38-6.09, p=0.005).ConclusionsIn this study of anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke patients treated with EVT, we found that premorbid disability was associated with a higher probability of not accumulating further disability compared to patients with no premorbid disability, but also with higher probability of death.Classification of EvidenceThis study provides Class II evidence that in anterior circulation acute ischemic stroke treated with EVT, patients with premorbid disability compared to those without disability were more likely not to accumulate more disability but were more likely to die.



Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Xin Tong ◽  
Mary G George

Background: Use of IV tPA has increased over time, as has the adherence to the NQF endorsed performance measure for receipt of IV tPA within 3 hours. Little is known about trends in the reasons for patient ineligibility for IV tPA. This study examines trends in reasons for not providing IV tPA over time and by race and gender among acute ischemic stroke patients in the Paul Coverdell National Acute Stroke Registry (PCNASR), a quality improvement program for acute stroke implemented by state health departments. Methods: There were 13,164 PCNASR patients enrolled from 2008- 2010 with a clinical diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke with documentation of LKW and who arrived within 2 hours of LKW. Cochran-Armitage tests were used to test for trend on accepted reasons for not providing IV tPA within 3 hours of time last known well (LKW). Chi-square tests were used to test for differences among reasons between men and women and between non-Hispanic whites and minorities. Multiple reasons for not giving tPA could be selected. Results: Among 13,164 acute ischemic patients admitted between 2008 and 2010 with documentation of LKW and who arrived within 2 hours of LKW, 3781 (28.7%) received IV tPA, 7284 (55.3%) had documented reasons for not receiving IV tPA, and 2099 (16.0%) did not receive IV tPA. Contraindications to IV tPA, advanced age, rapid improvement and inability to determine eligibility increased over time. Mild stroke decreased over time. Conditions with warning, advanced age, limited life expectancy and family refusal were more common in women; mild stroke and rapid improvement were more common in men. Contraindications were more common in minorities; advanced age, mild stroke and rapid improvement, and family refusal were more common in non-Hispanic whites. When advanced age was selected, 46.6% of patients were over age 90 and 3.4% were under age 80. When stroke too mild was selected, 44.8% of patients had missing NIHSS scores, 42.1% of scores were 0-4, 8.8% were 5-9, and 4.3% were ≥ 10. The three most common reasons for not providing tPA were rapid improvement (40.9%), mild stroke (33.0%), and contraindications (29.2%) in 2010. Conclusions: More than half of ischemic stroke patients arriving within 2 hours of LKW were ineligible to receive IV tPA. There was little use of advanced age for patients under age 80. Documentation of stroke too mild was not substantiated by an NIHSS score in nearly half of patients. Better documentation of NIHSS score should be provided.


Stroke ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven R Messe ◽  
Michael T Mullen ◽  
Marguerrite Cox ◽  
Gregg Fonarow ◽  
Eric E Smith ◽  
...  

Introduction: Patients who present to the hospital during off-hours receive sub-optimal care and experience worse outcomes, often attributed to reduced staffing. It is unknown whether stroke patients receive less guideline-adherent care and experience worse outcomes when medical providers attend scientific meetings. The AHA International Stroke Conference (ISC) is the premier US conference for cerebrovascular disease and is well attended by stroke clinicians. Methods: The national Get With The Guidelines - Stroke (GWTG-Stroke) dataset was analyzed from 2009-2015 to identify acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients admitted during: 1) the week of ISC, and 2) the 2 weeks before and 2 weeks after ISC. We compared adherence to GWTG-Stroke quality measures and outcomes for AIS patients admitted during these two time periods using univariable and multivariable analysis, including both patient and hospital level variables. Results: Overall, 69,738 AIS patients were included, mean age 72, 52% female, and 29% non-white. There was no difference between the average weekly number of AIS cases admitted during ISC weeks versus non-ISC weeks (1,984 vs 1,997, p= 0.95). Patient and hospital characteristics were also similar between ISC vs. non-ISC time periods. No significant differences were noted in 14 quality of care metrics and 5 clinical outcomes between AIS patients treated during ISC vs. non-ISC weeks (Table). After adjusting for potential confounders, among patients who presented within 2 hours of onset there was no difference in the likelihood of receiving IV tPA within 3 hours (adjusted odds ratio 0.89, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.77 - 1.03, p=0.13), nor in the likelihood of receiving IV tPA within 60 minutes of arrival (adjusted odds ratio 0.92, 95% CI 0.83 - 1.02, p=0.13). Conclusions: The treatment and outcome of patients who present with AIS to a GWTG-Stroke participating hospital are not degraded during the week of the International Stroke Conference.


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