Impact of Ethnicity on Stroke Care and Outcome in Allen County

Background/Objective: Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in the US and the leading cause of long-term disability for adults. Research has shown that some ethnic groups have worse health outcomes after suffering from an acute stroke. It has been shown that certain ethnic groups used EMS services less and took longer to arrive at the hospital for acute stroke care. Since time is of the essence for stroke treatment, our study may provide insight on factors that may lead to the delay in the acute stroke management. Project Methods: In this retrospective chart review, we will look at patients who suffered from an ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke. From each patient’s electronic medical record, demographic information, time from acute stroke onset to hospital stroke activation, stroke severity, usage of EMS services, duration of hospital stay, co-morbid conditions, and stroke outcome will be recorded. Two-way ANOVA is used for statistical analysis. Results: Data was not able to be collected at this point. We hypothesize that patients of some ethnic groups have longer delay of ED care initiation from the stroke onset, lesser usage of EMS services, and higher rates of co-morbid conditions. We also hypothesize that these factors are correlated with stroke outcome at the time of hospital discharge. In contrast, the distance between home and nearest hospital with stroke care expertise is not different for different ethnic groups. Conclusion and Potential Impact: The data collected in this study can further explain why some ethnic groups have worse stroke outcomes than others. If the underlying factors responsible for these differences include factors such as failure to use EMS services, steps can then be taken to provide remedy and to promote better acute stroke outcomes for people of all ethnic groups within our community.

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Abstract 352: Early Data From an Implementation Science Study Suggests the Need for Identification and Adoption of Best Practices to Improve the Timeliness of Stroke Treatment

Circulation Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes ◽

10.1161/hcq.13.suppl_1.352 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 13 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Lisa M Monk

Keyword(s):

Best Practices ◽

Acute Stroke ◽

Care Delivery ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Early Data ◽

Screening Tools ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Ct Scanner ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Stroke Treatment

There is a disconnect from discovery of best treatment options and application into clinical practice in a timely manner. The I M plementation of best Pr actices f O r acute stroke care-de v eloping and optimizing regional systems of Stroke Care (IMPROVE Stroke Care) goal is to develop a regional integrated stroke system that identifies, classifies, and treats patients with acute ischemic stroke more rapidly and effectively with reperfusion therapy. These improvements in acute stroke care delivery are expected to result in lower mortality, fewer recurrent strokes, and improved long term functional outcomes. Recent discoveries in stroke care and advancement in technology extends the window for both TPA administration and mechanical thombectomy. The challenge of implementing these latest advances are difficult considering the ability of hospitals to implement the original American Heart Association (AHA) Systems of Stroke Care recommendations. Early data from this project shows that the challenges continue to exist in recommendations that have been in place as early as 2005. EMS is not utilizing pre-hospital stroke screening tools, only 5% of the time, stroke severity tools, only 7% of the time, lytic checklists, 0% of the time, destination decision changed due to severity score, 0% of the time, and pre-notifying emergency rooms, only 63% of the time. Emergency departments door to CT <45 minutes, only 55% of the time, Lytic given in CT scanner, only 35% of the time, Door to lytic therapy< 45 minutes, 77% of the time, Door to Groin puncture, 81% of the time, and Door to TICI Flow 2c/3 flow <90 minutes, 39% of the time. The Systems of Stroke Care have recommendations that will improve time to treatment and outcomes for patients. This project is working to provide tools, guidance, data, and feedback to improve application of these recommendations and identify best practices and solutions to barriers.

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Abstract WP317: The Impact of Post-acute Discharge Disposition on Outcomes in the SWIFT PRIME Trial

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.wp317 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Samir R Belagaje ◽

Diogo C Haussen ◽

Jeffrey L Saver ◽

Mayank Goyal ◽

David S Liebeskind ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Skilled Nursing Facility ◽

Inpatient Rehabilitation ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Favorable Outcome ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Stroke Treatment ◽

Discharge Disposition ◽

The Impact

Intro: Post-acute stroke care in an inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) demonstrates better outcomes compared to a skilled nursing facility (SNF). With advancements in endovascular acute stroke, the impact that post-acute care plays is unclear. Here, we analyze a successful endovascular acute stroke trial to demonstrate that more improvement is seen in patients discharged to an IRF compared to a SNF. Methods: From SWIFT PRIME, a prospective, multi-center randomized acute endovascular trial, subject characteristics, and modified Rankin scores (mRS) were obtained. Post-acute hospital discharge was classified as home, IRF, and SNF. A favorable outcome was defined as 90 day mRS ≤ 2 and improvement was defined as ≥ 1 point decrease in mRS score. The effect of each disposition on a favorable outcome was calculated overall and stratified by stroke severity class (defined as discharge mRS 0-3, 4, 5) Results: A total of 165 subjects (mean age 64.8 years, mean initial NIHSS= 16.5, and 50 % male) were analyzed. Discharge disposition included: 51 (31%) going home, 92 (56%) IRF, 22 (13%) SNF. The baseline characteristics were similar between patients that went to IRF and SNF: age (p =0.76), gender (p= 0.81), baseline NIHSS (p=0.055), final infarct volumes (p=0.20), and recanalization rates (p=0.19). However, IRF subjects had lower NIHSS (p<0.001) and mRS (p=0.017) at day 7. Time to treatment defined as symptom onset to groin puncture was not significantly associated with discharge disposition (p=0.119). Only 1/22 (4.5%) subjects who were discharged to SNF achieved a 90 day mRS ≤2, compared to 41/92 (44.6%) in the IRF group or 48/51 (94.1%) in the home group (p < 0.001). When stratified by stroke severity: for mRS=0-3, there were no differences in favorable outcomes; mRS=4, 1/7 (14.3%) showed improvement at SNF compared to 21/27 (77.8%) at IRF (p=0.008); mRS =5, 5/14 (35.7%) showed improvement at SNF compared to 28/37 (75.7%) at IRF (p=0.013). Conclusions: Despite having similar characteristics following acute stroke treatment, not only did subjects who went to SNF compared to IRF have more unfavorable outcomes, they were less likely to make improvement. These findings show the continued importance of post-stroke rehabilitation, even in the endovascular era.

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Abstract 87: Centralization of Acute Stroke Treatment was Associated With a Reduction in Length of Acute Hospital Stay

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.48.suppl_1.87 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 48 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Sidsel Hastrup ◽

Soeren Paaske Johnsen ◽

Paul von Weitzel-Mudersbach ◽

Claus Ziegler Simonsen ◽

Niels Hjort ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hospital Stay ◽

Acute Stroke ◽

Clinical Care ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Acute Hospital ◽

Study Cohort ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Stroke Treatment ◽

Iv Tpa

Introduction: In 2012 a centralization and specialization of stroke services was implemented in Central Region Denmark (CRD) (n= 1.3 million inhabitants). It implied that acute stroke care was to be provided at only 2 units with re-vascularization therapy. Objective: The impacts on length of acute hospital stay (AHS), rate of thrombolysis (IV tPA), evidence-based clinical care and mortality. Methods: Population-based before-and-after registry study. The study cohort included all stroke cases in Denmark, with patients outside CRD being used as comparison to account for general changes in stroke care. The period before (May 2011- April 2012) was compared to after (May 2013 - April 2014) using regression methods, including difference-in-differences (DID) analysis. Potential confounders included age, gender, civil status, previous strokes, diabetes, atrial fibrillation, smoking, alcohol, stroke severity, hypertension and type of stroke. Results: Baseline data in Figure 1. Median length of AHS (days) in CRD decreased from 5 (IQR 7) to 2 (3) vs. from 5 (9) to 5 (8) in the rest of Denmark. IV tPA rates increased from 16% (95CI 14-17) to 19% (17-21) of all acute ischemic strokes in CRD and from 9% (8-10) to 14% (13-15) in the rest of Denmark (DID RR 0.77 (0.66-0.91)). All-or-none rates of 11 process performance measures of in-hospital care increased from 51% (49-53) to 63% (61-65) in CRD vs. 49% (48-50) to 60% (59-61) in the rest of Denmark (DID RR 0.99 (0.93-1.05)). Adjusted 30-days mortality rate decreased non-significantly and comparable to the rest of the country; OR 0.97 (0.71-1.32) vs. OR 0.91 (0.77-1.07) (DID OR 1.03 (0.75-1.41)). Conclusions: Centralization of acute stroke care was associated with a significant reduction in length of AHS when compared to the development in the rest of Denmark. The use of IV tPA and the quality of acute stroke care also improved, but the trend was not different from the rest of Denmark. No changes in the adjusted 30-days mortality were observed.

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Infrastructural and Knowledge Barriers to Accessing Acute Stroke Care at a Regional Tertiary Facility in Kenya

Journal of Stroke Medicine ◽

10.1177/25166085211018046 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 4 (1) ◽

pp. 50-57

Author(s):

Caroline Mithi ◽

Jasmit Shah ◽

Peter Mativo ◽

Dilraj Singh Sokhi

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Public Awareness ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Stroke Onset ◽

Next Of Kin ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Cross Sectional ◽

Stroke Treatment ◽

Early Arrival ◽

Cardinal Symptom

The delivery of definitive acute stroke care in Africaremains low due to prehospital barriers, and these are known to be country-specific. There have been no studies on elucidating these barriers in Kenya. Objectives: We sought to identify the nature of barriers to acute stroke care for patients presenting to our hospital in Nairobi, Kenya. Materials and Methods: We conducted a prospective cross-sectional study atour tertiary regional referral center from August 2018 to March 2019 for patients presenting with an acutestroke. We consented participants (patients or their registered next-of-kin) to fill out a questionnaire on their journey from stroke-onset to the ward bed, and about their knowledge about stroke. Results: We recruited 103 participants. Only 25.2% arrived to hospital within 3.5 h (early arrival) of stroke onset. The significant factors causing delay were:distance from hospital, traffic, visiting another hospital first, and lack of transport vehicle. Factors significantly associated ( P<.05) with early arrival were: older age, non-African ethnic origin, bystander present at stroke onset, living near (<15km) the hospital, and knowledge of stroke. Almost 80% believed stress was a major risk factor and that dizziness was a cardinal symptom. Only 50% knew of the availability of thrombolysis/thrombectomy and their roles in stroke treatment, and only 37.9% knew the correct time limits for these. Conclusions: We identified a number of prehospital barriers to reaching hospital on time for definitive stroke treatment, which have implications on the structure of emergency services for stroke in our city. Our study also revealed interesting observations on the public’s understanding about stroke, calling for a tailored public awareness campaign to improve stroke knowledge.

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Bottlenecks in the Acute Stroke Care System during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Catalonia

Cerebrovascular Diseases ◽

10.1159/000516309 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Anna Ramos-Pachón ◽

Álvaro García-Tornel ◽

Mònica Millán ◽

Marc Ribó ◽

Sergi Amaro ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Functional Outcome ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Care Quality ◽

Point Of View ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Vessel Occlusion ◽

Prehospital Delays ◽

The Impact

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in significant healthcare reorganizations, potentially striking standard medical care. We investigated the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on acute stroke care quality and clinical outcomes to detect healthcare system’s bottlenecks from a territorial point of view. Methods: Crossed-data analysis between a prospective nation-based mandatory registry of acute stroke, Emergency Medical System (EMS) records, and daily incidence of COVID-19 in Catalonia (Spain). We included all stroke code activations during the pandemic (March 15–May 2, 2020) and an immediate prepandemic period (January 26–March 14, 2020). Primary outcomes were stroke code activations and reperfusion therapies in both periods. Secondary outcomes included clinical characteristics, workflow metrics, differences across types of stroke centers, correlation analysis between weekly EMS alerts, COVID-19 cases, and workflow metrics, and impact on mortality and clinical outcome at 90 days. Results: Stroke code activations decreased by 22% and reperfusion therapies dropped by 29% during the pandemic period, with no differences in age, stroke severity, or large vessel occlusion. Calls to EMS were handled 42 min later, and time from onset to hospital arrival increased by 53 min, with significant correlations between weekly COVID-19 cases and more EMS calls (rho = 0.81), less stroke code activations (rho = −0.37), and longer prehospital delays (rho = 0.25). Telestroke centers were afflicted with higher reductions in stroke code activations, reperfusion treatments, referrals to endovascular centers, and increased delays to thrombolytics. The independent odds of death increased (OR 1.6 [1.05–2.4], p 0.03) and good functional outcome decreased (mRS ≤2 at 90 days: OR 0.6 [0.4–0.9], p 0.015) during the pandemic period. Conclusion: During the COVID-19 pandemic, Catalonia’s stroke system’s weakest points were the delay to EMS alert and a decline of stroke code activations, reperfusion treatments, and interhospital transfers, mostly at local centers. Patients suffering an acute stroke during the pandemic period had higher odds of poor functional outcome and death. The complete stroke care system’s analysis is crucial to allocate resources appropriately.

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Abstract 21: Are Stroke Outcomes Influenced by New Starting Residents? The July Effect: Myth or Reality?

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.45.suppl_1.21 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 45 (suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Tai Hwan Park ◽

Jitphapa Pongmoragot ◽

Shudong Li ◽

Gustavo Saposnik ◽

Keyword(s):

Functional Outcome ◽

Performance Measures ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Teaching Hospitals ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Stroke Outcomes ◽

July Effect ◽

Negative Effect ◽

To Receive

Background: Acute stroke care provided by comprehensive stroke centers usually follows prespecified protocols. However, there are concerns about lower quality of care and poorer stroke outcomes early after new trainnees (e.g.) residents start in July in academic/teaching hospitals. This has been called ‘the July effect’. Objective: To evaluate access to specialized care and outcomes among patients admitted with an acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in July and other months. Hypothesis: We hypothesized that there were no significant differences in access to stroke care and outcomes for patients admitted in July when new trainees start at academic centers. Methods: Patients presenting with an AIS at 11 stroke centers in Ontario, Canada, between 2003 and 2009 were identified from the Registry of the Canadian Stroke Network. We compared performance measures and functional outcomes (death at 30 days, modified Rankin Scale 3 to 5 at discharge) between AIS patients admitted in July of each studied year and those who admitted during other months. Results: Of 10,319 eligible patients with an AIS, 882 (8.5%) were admitted in July. There was not difference in age, sex, or baseline stroke severity between patients admitted in July or other months. Among the performance measures analyzed, AIS admitted in July were less likely to receive thrombolysis (12.1% vs. 16.0%, p=0.002), swallowing test (64.4% vs. 67.9%, p=0.033), and admission to stroke unit (61.9% vs. 67.6%, <0.001). There was no difference in death at 30-days (16.4% vs. 16.1%, p=0.823) or poor functional outcome (61.0% vs. 63.5%, p=0.14) between two groups (Table). Conclusion: AIS patients admitted in July were less likely to receive thrombolysis and be admitted to stroke units compared to patients admitted on the rest of the year. However, there was no negative effect of “admission on July” on functional outcome or death.

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Abstract P855: Importance of Compliance in Dysphagia Screening in Acute Stroke Care

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.p855 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Patty Noah ◽

Melanie Henderson ◽

Rebekah Heintz ◽

Russell Cerejo ◽

Christopher T Hackett ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Aspiration Pneumonia ◽

Hemorrhagic Stroke ◽

Oral Intake ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Stroke Severity ◽

Stroke Patients ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Chi Square ◽

Stroke Center

Introduction: Dysphagia occurs in up to two thirds of stroke patients and can lead to serious complications such as aspiration pneumonia, which is also linked to increased morbidity and mortality. Evidence-based guidelines recommend a bedside dysphagia assessment before oral intake in stroke patients regardless of initial stroke severity. Several studies have described registered nurses’ competency in terms of knowledge and skills regarding dysphagia screening. We aimed to examine the rate of aspiration pneumonia compared to the rate of dysphagia screening. Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively collected data at a single tertiary stroke center was carried out between January 2017 and June 2020. Data comparison was completed utilizing ICD-10 diagnosis codes to identify aspiration pneumonia in ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients. The data was reviewed to compare the compliance of a completed dysphagia screen prior to any oral intake to rate of aspiration pneumonia. Chi square tests were used to assess proportion differences in completed dysphagia screen and proportion of aspiration pneumonia diagnosis in the ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke patients. Results: We identified 3320 patient that met inclusion criteria. 67% were ischemic strokes, 22% were intracerebral hemorrhages and 11% were subarachnoid hemorrhages. Compliance with dysphagia screening decreased from 94.2% (n=1555/1650) in 2017-2018 to 74.0% (n=1236/1670) in 2019-2020, OR=0.17 (95%CI 0.14 - 0.22), p < 0.0001. Aspiration pneumonias increased from 58 (3.5%) in 2017-2018 to 77 (4.6%) in 2019-2020, but this difference was not statistically significant, OR=0.75 (95%CI 0.53 - 1.07), p = 0.11. Conclusion: We noted that the decrease in compliance with completing a dysphagia screen in patients with acute stroke prior to any oral intake was associated with a higher trend of aspiration pneumonia.

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Abstract TMP86: Telestroke Improves Guideline-Based Comprehensive Stroke Care: The TELECAST Trial

Stroke ◽

10.1161/str.51.suppl_1.tmp86 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 51 (Suppl_1) ◽

Author(s):

Christopher D Streib ◽

Oladi Bentho ◽

Kathryn Bard ◽

Eric Jaton ◽

Sarah Engkjer ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Composite Score ◽

Stroke Recurrence ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Specialist Service ◽

Stroke Treatment ◽

Chi Squared ◽

Secondary Outcomes ◽

The Impact

Introduction: Limited access to stroke specialist expertise produces disparities in inpatient stroke treatment. The impact of telestroke on the remote delivery of guideline-based inpatient stroke care is yet to be comprehensively studied. The TELECAST trial (NCT03672890) prospectively examined the impact of a 24-7 telestroke specialist service dedicated to inpatient acute stroke care spanning admission to discharge. Methods: AHA stroke guidelines were used to derive outcome metrics in the following acute stroke inpatient care categories: diagnostic stroke evaluation (DSE), secondary stroke prevention (SSP), health screening and evaluation (HSE), and stroke education (SE). Adherence to AHA guidelines for stroke inpatients pre-telestroke (July 1, 2016-June 30, 2018) and post-telestroke intervention (July 1, 2018-June 30, 2019) were studied. The primary outcome was a composite score of all guideline-based stroke care. Secondary outcomes consisted of subcategory composite scores in DSE, SSP, HSE, and SE. Chi-squared tests were utilized to assess primary and secondary outcomes. Statistical analysis was performed using STATA 15.0. Results: Following institution of a comprehensive inpatient telestroke service, overall adherence to guideline-based metrics improved (composite score: 85% vs 94%, p<0.01) as did adherence to DSE guidelines (subgroup score: 90 vs 95%, p<0.01). SSP, HSE, and SE subgroup scores were not significantly different. See Table 1. Conclusion: The implementation of a 24-7 inpatient telestroke service improved adherence to AHA guidelines for inpatient acute stroke care. Dedicated inpatient telestroke specialist coverage may improve inpatient stroke care and reduce stroke recurrence in hospitals without access to stroke specialists.

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Ten Years of Improving Acute Stroke Management in a Metropolitan Area: A Population-Based Quantification of Quality Indicators

European Neurology ◽

10.1159/000518428 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 1-11

Author(s):

Anna Alegiani ◽

Michael Rosenkranz ◽

Leonie Schmitz ◽

Susanne Lezius ◽

Günter Seidel ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Acute Stroke ◽

Quality Indicators ◽

Metropolitan Area ◽

Stroke Care ◽

Care Quality ◽

Acute Stroke Care ◽

Stroke Units ◽

Stroke Treatment ◽

Acute Stroke Treatment ◽

Over Time

Background and Purpose: Rapid access to acute stroke treatment improves clinical outcomes in patients with ischemic stroke. We aimed to shorten the time to admission and to acute stroke treatment for patients with acute stroke in the Hamburg metropolitan area by collaborative multilevel measures involving all hospitals with stroke units, the Emergency Medical Services (EMS), and health-care authorities. Methods: In 2007, an area-wide stroke care quality project was initiated. The project included mandatory admission of all stroke patients in Hamburg exclusively to hospitals with stroke units, harmonized acute treatment algorithms among all hospitals, repeated training of the EMS staff, a multimedia educational campaign, and a mandatory stroke care quality monitoring system based on structured data assessment and quality indicators for procedural measures. We analyzed data of all patients with acute stroke who received inhospital treatment in the city of Hamburg during the evaluation period from the quality assurance database data and evaluated trends of key quality indicators over time. Results: From 2007 to 2016, a total of 83,395 patients with acute stroke were registered. During this period, the proportion of patients admitted within ≤3 h from symptom onset increased over time from 27.8% in 2007 to 35.2% in 2016 (p < 0.001). The proportion of patients who received rapid thrombolysis (within ≤30 min after admission) increased from 7.7 to 54.1% (p < 0.001). Conclusions: Collaborative stroke care quality projects are suitable and effective to improve acute stroke care.

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