Abstract WMP32: Variation in the Rates of Acute Ischemic Stroke Transfers Between Hospitals in the United States

Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed F Ali ◽  
Gregg Fonarow ◽  
Eric Smith ◽  
Li Liang ◽  
Robert Sutter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
High Volume ◽  
The United States ◽  
Teaching Hospitals ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Stroke Registry ◽  
Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
The Us ◽  
Iv Tpa

Background: Many patients are transferred from emergency departments or inpatient units to stroke centers for advanced acute ischemic stroke (AIS) care, especially after intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (tPA). We sought to determine variation in the rates of AIS patient transfer in the US. Methods: Using data from the national Get With The Guidelines-Stroke registry, we analyzed AIS cases from 01/2010 to 03/14. Transfer-in was defined as transfer of AIS patients from other hospitals. Due to large sample size, instead of p-values, standardized differences were reported and a map of transfer-in rates across the US constructed. Results: Of the 970,390 patients discharged from 1,646 hospitals in the US, 87% were admitted via the ER or direct admission (front door) vs. 13% transferred-in. While most hospitals (61%) had transfer-in rates of < 5% of all AIS patients, a minority (17%) had high (>15%) transfer-in rates. High transfer-in hospitals were more often in the Midwest, were larger, and had higher annual AIS and IV tPA case volumes, and were also more often teaching hospitals and stroke centers (primary or comprehensive) (Table and Figure).. IV tPA was used more frequently in eligible patients in high-volume transfer-in hospitals (Table); otherwise, stroke quality of care was similar. Conclusions: There is significant regional- and state-level variability in the transfer of AIS patients. This may reflect differences in resource availability and the distribution of smaller, under-resourced hospitals that frequently transfer patients for advanced care after stabilization. Additional research is warranted to understand this variation.

scholarly journals Exploring the Unmet Need in Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients Not Treated With Intravenous Alteplase: The Get With The Guidelines‐Stroke Registry

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian Mac Grory ◽  
Ying Xian ◽  
Nicole C. Solomon ◽  
Roland A. Matsouaka ◽  
Marquita R. Decker‐Palmer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Patient Population ◽  
Time Window ◽  
Unmet Need ◽  
The United States ◽  
Rapid Improvement ◽  
Stroke Registry ◽  
Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Get With The Guidelines

BACKGROUND Early administration of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV alteplase) improves functional outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke, yet many patients are not treated with IV alteplase. There is a need to understand the reasons for nontreatment and the short‐ and long‐term outcomes in this patient population. METHODS We analyzed patients ≥65 years old with a primary diagnosis of acute ischemic stroke presenting within 24 hours of time last known well (LKW) but not treated with IV alteplase from 1630 Get With The Guidelines‐Stroke hospitals in the United States between January 2016 and December 2016. We report clinical characteristics, reasons for withholding treatment, in‐hospital mortality, and 90‐day and 1‐year outcomes including costs, stratified by time from LKW to presentation (≤4.5, >4.5–6, and >6–24 hours). RESULTS Of 39 760 patients (median age 80 [25th–75th quartiles: 73–87], 56.7% female), 19 391 (48.8%) presented within 4.5 hours of LKW. In those with documented reasons for withholding IV alteplase, the most common reasons were rapid improvement of symptoms (3985/14 782, 27.0%) and mild symptoms (3791/14 782, 25.6%). In 1100 out of 1174 (93.7%) patients presenting in the >3.0‐ to 4.5‐hour time window, the most common reason for not treating was a delay in patient arrival. The most common discharge location for those presenting ≤4.5 hours since LKW was home (8660/19 391, 44.7%). The 90‐day mortality and readmission rates were 18.9% and 23.0% in those presenting ≤4.5 hours since LKW, 19.0% and 22.2% in those presenting between 4.5 and 6 hours, and 19.1% and 23.2% in those presenting between 6 and 24 hours. Median 90‐day total in‐hospital costs remained relatively high at $9471 (Q25–Q75: $5622–$21 356) in patients presenting ≤4.5 hours since LKW. CONCLUSIONS Patients within the Get With The Guidelines‐Stroke registry not treated with IV alteplase have a high risk of readmission and mortality and have high total in‐hospital and postdischarge costs. This study may inform future efforts to address the unmet need to improve the scope of IV alteplase delivery along with other aspects of acute ischemic stroke care and, consequently, outcomes in this patient population.

Abstract 3967: Interdisciplinary Emergency Department (ED) Acute Stroke Case Review Decreases Door to Needle (DTN) Times

Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa T Fritz ◽  
Sandy Fritzlar
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
The United States ◽  
Case Review ◽  
Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Stroke Team ◽  
Process Oriented ◽  
Stroke Case ◽  
Iv Tpa

Background: Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and the leading cause of disability in the United States. Previous studies suggest that the quicker that intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) is administered, the safer and more effective it is, thus lowering the odds of in hospital mortality and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage. Objective: To investigate whether implementing a process oriented, interdisciplinary bimonthly review of acute ischemic stroke cases would decrease DTN times and ultimately lead to the consistent administration of IV tPA within 60 minutes of arrival to the ED. Methods: To decrease the IV tPA DTN times, the stroke team at United Hospital in St. Paul, Minnesota developed a new ED stroke review process in July 2010 to analyze each acute ischemic stroke case. The cases were compiled into a document that contained time specific goals for each step of the acute stroke code process. Members of the stroke team would review the data prior to the meeting and if there was a delay (ie outside of the timed goal for lab result) in their department they would investigate the cause. At the meeting, the team would identify best practice efficiencies and barriers, leading to changes in the process. Formal follow up with each department and key learnings were sent to staff on a monthly basis. Results: In 2010, there were 82 patients admitted with an acute ischemic stroke, within 3.5 hours from time last known well, and 28 patients received IV tPA 34% (28/82). From January to June, 2011 there have been 46 acute ischemic stroke patients and 18 patients received IV tPA (18/46) 39%. The mean DTN time was 88 minutes in 2010 vs. 70 minutes in 2011; mean age was 64 vs. 66.5; % female was 46% (13/28) vs. 67% (12/18); median NIH Stroke Scale was 6 vs. 6. The percentage of patients treated with IV tPA within 60 minutes of hospital arrival increased from 21.4% (6/28) in 2010 to 50% (9/18) from January to June 2011 (p=0.022). Conclusions: The DTN times significantly decreased after the implementation of a process oriented, interdisciplinary ED acute stroke case review. The percentage of patients receiving IV tPA within 60 minutes increased from 21.4% to 50% over a 18 month period.

Abstract P201: Octogenarian and Nonagenarian Outcomes Among Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients

Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
RAJAN R GADHIA ◽  
Farhaan S Vahidy ◽  
Tariq Nisar ◽  
Destiny Hooper ◽  
David Chiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Combined Treatment ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Stroke Treatment ◽  
Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Acute Stroke Treatment ◽  
Iv Tpa

Objective: Most acute stroke treatment trials exclude patients above the age of 80. Given the clear benefit of revascularization with intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) and mechanical thrombectomy (MT), we sought to assess functional outcomes in patients treated above the age of 80. Methods: We conducted a review of all patients admitted to Houston Methodist Hospital between January 2019 and August 2020 with an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) presentation[MOU1] for whom premorbid, discharge, and 90 day modified Rankin Scale scores were available. Patients were categorized by acute stroke treatment (IV tPA, MT, both or none[MOU2] ). mRS values were assessed during admission prior to discharge and at 90 days post stroke event. A delta mRS (Discharge vs. 90-day [MOU3] ) was defined and grouped as no change, improved, or worsened to assess overall functional disability in regards to the index stroke presentation. Results: A total of 865 patients with AIS presentation were included, of whom 651 (75.3%) were <80 years and 214 (24.7%) were > 80 years of age at presentation. A total of 208 patients received IV tPA, 176 underwent revascularization with MT only, 71 had both treatments, and 552 had no acute intervention. In patients >80 yrs who had no acute stroke intervention. mRS improvement was noted in 71.4% compared to 54.1% observed in those patients <80 years. Among patients who received IV tPA, 81.5% of > 80 years improved vs. 61.6% in the younger cohort. A similar trend was noted in the MT and combined treatment groups (76.2% vs. 71.2% and 78.6% vs. 79.3%, respectively). Conclusion: Based on our cohort of acute stroke patients, there was no significant difference in outcomes (as measured by delta mRS) for octogenarians and nonagenarians when compared to younger patients. There was a trend towards improvement in the elderly patients. Chronological age by itself may be an insufficient predictor of functional outcome among stroke patients and age cutoffs for enrollment of patients in acute stroke trials may need additional considerations.

Abstract T P267: Development of an EMS Interfacility Ground Transport Protocol for Patients During/After IV tPA Administration for Acute Ischemic Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Kerrin Connelly ◽  
Rishi Gupta ◽  
Raul Nogueira ◽  
Arthur Yancey ◽  
Alexander Isakov ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Transport Protocol ◽  
Stroke Patients ◽  
Stroke Registry ◽  
The Public ◽  
State Office ◽  
Stroke Center ◽  
Iv Tpa

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.

Abstract TP306: Characteristics and Outcomes Among Patients Transferred to Regional Stroke Centers Across the United States for Specialized Stroke Care

Stroke ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 47 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Syed F Ali ◽  
Gregg Fonarow ◽  
Eric Smith ◽  
Li Liang ◽  
Robert Sutter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Hospital Mortality ◽  
Acute Care Hospital ◽  
Length Of Hospital Stay ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Stroke Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Large Sample Size ◽  
Care Hospital ◽  
Stroke Registry ◽  
Front Door

Intro: Many patients are transferred to stroke centers for advanced stroke care, especially after IV tPA. We sought to determine differences in the baseline characteristics and outcomes between AIS cases presenting directly to stroke centers’ front doors vs. transfers-in from another regional acute care hospital. Methods: Using data from the national GWTG-Stroke registry, we analyzed 970,390 AIS cases (01/2010 - 03/14). Patients at hospitals with high transfer-in rates (>15%) were selected (284 hospitals, 303,739 patients). Due to large sample size, instead of p-values, standardized differences were reported. Multivariable model (MV) examined the association of transfer-in vs. front door with the primary and secondary outcomes, adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics including NIHSS. Results: High volume transfer-in hospitals admitted 31% of their patients via transfer. Transfer-in patients were younger, more often white and non-Hispanic. They had similar stroke risk factors except for hypertension and previous stroke/TIA which were less common. Transfer-in had worse initial NIHSS, more often had altered consciousness and language disturbance. Transfer-in patients had longer length of hospital stay, higher mRS at discharge, and were less often discharged home. In-hospital mortality was ∼ 3% higher in transfer-in as compared with front-door. Among tPA treated patients, sICH < 36hr was more common in transfer-in patients. On MV, transfer-in patients had overall worse outcomes as shown by the higher odds of in-hospital mortality, longer length of stay, and not able to ambulate independently at discharge (Table). Conclusion: Many hospitals receive high volumes of stroke patients via transfer. Because transfer-in patients have worse outcomes, these patients have the potential to negatively influence institutional outcomes rates. Transfer-in patients should be carefully accounted for in risk adjusted models of hospital outcomes.

Abstract 2779: The Safety of Intravenous Thrombolysis for Ischemic Stroke in Patients With Pre-Existing Cerebral Aneurysms: A Retrospective, Hospital-Based Study

Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nancy Edwards ◽  
Hooman Kamel ◽  
S. Andrew Josephson
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Cerebral Aneurysms ◽  
Intravenous Thrombolysis ◽  
Aneurysm Rupture ◽  
Exact Test ◽  
Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Unruptured Cerebral Aneurysms ◽  
Risk Of Hemorrhage ◽  
Iv Tpa

Background and Purpose: Unruptured cerebral aneurysms are currently considered a contraindication to intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) for acute ischemic stroke. This is due to a theoretical increase in the risk of hemorrhage from aneurysm rupture, although it is unknown whether this risk is significant. We sought to determine the safety of IV tPA administration in a cohort of patients with pre-existing aneurysms. Methods: We reviewed the medical records of patients treated for acute ischemic stroke with IV tPA during an 11-year period at two academic medical centers. We identified a subset of patients with unruptured cerebral aneurysms present on pre-thrombolysis vascular imaging. Our outcomes of interest were any intracranial hemorrhage (ICH), symptomatic ICH, and subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Fisher’s exact test was used to compare the rates of hemorrhage among patients with and without aneurysms. Results: We identified 236 eligible patients, of whom 22 had unruptured cerebral aneurysms. The rate of ICH among patients with aneurysms (14%, 95% CI 3-35%) did not significantly differ from the rate among patients without aneurysms (19%, 95% CI 14-25%). None of the patients with aneurysms developed symptomatic ICH (0%, 95% CI 0-15%), compared with 10 of 214 patients without aneurysms (5%, 95% CI 2-8%). Similar proportions of patients developed SAH (5%, 95% CI 0-23% versus 6%, 95% CI 3-10%). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that IV tPA for acute ischemic stroke is safe to administer in patients with pre-existing cerebral aneurysms as the risk of aneurysm rupture and symptomatic ICH is low.

Abstract 4: Variation and Temporal Trends in the Characteristics of US Hospitals Treating Acute Ischemic Stroke Patients with IV-tPA: Findings from GWTG-Stroke

Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Lee H Schwamm ◽  
Syed F Ali ◽  
Mathew J Reeves ◽  
Eric E Smith ◽  
Jeffrey L Saver ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Systems Of Care ◽  
Team Building ◽  
Temporal Trends ◽  
High Volume ◽  
Wilcoxon Test ◽  
Chi Square ◽  
Over Time ◽  
Iv Tpa

Introduction: Utilization of IV tPA is challenging for many hospitals. Using data from the national Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program, we analyzed changes over time in the characteristics of the hospitals that treated patients with tPA. Methods: We analyzed patient-level data from 2003-2011 at 1600 GWTG hospitals that joined the program at any time during the study period and admitted any acute ischemic stroke (AIS) patients arriving ≤ 2 hr of onset and eligible for tPA. Descriptive trends by time were analyzed by chi-square or Wilcoxon test for continuous data. Results: IV tPA was given within 3 hr at 1394 sites to 50,798/ 75,115 (67.6%) eligible AIS patients arriving ≤ 2 hr; 206 (14.8%) sites had a least one eligible patients but no tPA use. IV tPA treatment rates varied substantially across hospitals (median 61.2%, range 0-100%), with > 200 hospitals providing tPA < 10% of the time (Figure). Over time, more patients and a larger proportion of patients were treated at smaller (median bed size 407 vs. 372, p< 0.001), non-academic, Southern hospitals, and those with lower annualized average ischemic stroke volumes (252.4 vs. 235.2, p< 0.001) (Table). While more than half of all tPA patients were treated at Primary Stroke Centers, this proportion did not change over time. The proportion of patients treated at high volume tPA treatment sites (average > 20/year) increased over time (31.9 vs. 34.5, p< 0.007). Conclusion: Over the past decade, while primary stroke centers still account for more than half of all treatments, tPA has been increasingly delivered in smaller, non-academic hospitals. These data support the continued emphasis on stroke team building and systems of care at US hospitals.

A Pregnant Woman with Aphasia and Right-Sided Weakness

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Angela O’Neal
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Pregnant Woman ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Case Series ◽  
Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Common Causes ◽  
Tissue Plasminogen ◽  
Multiple Trials ◽  
Iv Tpa ◽  
In Pregnancy

This chapter discusses the evaluation and management of acute ischemic stroke in pregnancy. Stroke in pregnancy is rare, but is a significant cause of morbidity. The etiologies of stroke in pregnancy are diverse. The most common causes in hospital-based studies are cardioembolic or related to eclampsia. The use of intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) as well as intra-arterial clot retrieval in stroke have been validated by multiple trials. Small case series support the safety of both therapies in pregnancy. Therefore, the management of stroke in pregnancy should be based on the mechanism and severity of the stroke, not on obstetrical issues.

Treatment of Acute Right-Sided Weakness

2016 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ji Y. Chong ◽  
Michael P. Lerario
Keyword(s):  
Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Acute Ischemic Stroke ◽  
Symptom Onset ◽  
Randomized Trials ◽  
Stroke Therapy ◽  
Eligibility Criteria ◽  
Off Label ◽  
Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator ◽  
Tissue Plasminogen ◽  
Iv Tpa

Intravenous tissue plasminogen activator (IV tPA) is the mainstay of stroke therapy and is US Food and Drug Administration-approved for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke. Its benefit on functional outcome has been established in multiple randomized trials when administered within 3 hours. Select patients may be treated off-label up to 4.5 hours from symptom onset. Eligibility criteria need to be reviewed carefully to optimize benefit and to minimize complications, namely reperfusion hemorrhage.

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