scholarly journals Disparities in Care and Outcome of Stroke Patients from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Communities in Metropolitan Australia

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (24) ◽  
pp. 5870
Author(s):  
Fatemeh Rezania ◽  
Christopher J. A. Neil ◽  
Tissa Wijeratne

Background: Acute stroke is a time-critical emergency where diagnosis and acute management are highly dependent upon the accuracy of the patient’s history. We hypothesised that the language barrier is associated with delayed onset time to thrombolysis and poor clinical outcomes. This study aims to evaluate the effect of language barriers on time to thrombolysis and clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. Concerning the method, this is a retrospective study of all patients admitted to a metropolitan stroke unit (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) with an acute ischemic stroke treated with tissue plasminogen activator between 1/2013 and 9/2017. Baseline characteristics, thrombolysis time intervals, length of stay, discharge destination, and in-hospital mortality were compared among patients with and without a language barrier using multivariate analysis after adjustment for age, sex, stroke severity, premorbid modified Rankin Scale (mRS), and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Language barriers were defined as a primary language other than English. A total of 374 patients were included. Our findings show that 76 patients (20.3%) had a language barrier. Mean age was five years older for patients with language barriers (76.7 vs. 71.8 years, p = 0.004). Less non-English speaking patients had premorbid mRS score of zero (p = 0.002), and more had premorbid mRS score of one or two (p = 0.04). There was no statistically significant difference between the two groups in terms of stroke severity on presentation (p = 0.06). The onset to needle time was significantly longer in patients with a language barrier (188 min vs. 173 min, p = 0.04). Onset to arrival and door to imaging times were reassuringly similar between the two groups. However, imaging to needle time was 9 min delayed in non-English speaking patients with a marginal p value (65 vs. 56 min, p = 0.06). Patients with language barriers stayed longer in the stroke unit (six vs. four days, p = 0.02) and had higher discharge rates than residential aged care facilities in those admitted from home (9.2% vs. 2.3%, p = 0.02). In-hospital mortality was not different between the two groups (p = 0.8). In conclusion, language barriers were associated with almost 14 min delay in thrombolysis. The delay was primarily attributable to imaging to needle time. Language barriers were also associated with poorer clinical outcomes.

Author(s):  
Fatemeh Rezania ◽  
Christopher J.A. Neil ◽  
Tissa Wijeratne

BACKGROUND: Acute stroke is a time-critical emergency where diagnosis and acute management are highly dependent upon accuracy of patient’s history. We hypothesised that language barrier is associated with delayed onset time to thrombolysis and poor clinical outcomes. AIM: To evaluate the effect of language barriers on time to thrombolysis and clinical outcomes in acute ischemic stroke. METHODS: This is a retrospective study of all patients admitted to a metropolitan stroke unit (Melbourne, Victoria, Australia) with an acute ischemic stroke treated with tissue plasminogen activator between 1/2013 and 9/2017. Baseline characteristics, thrombolysis time intervals, length of stay, discharge destination, and in-hospital mortality were compared between patients with and without a language barrier using multivariate analysis after adjustment for age, sex, stroke severity, premorbid modified Rankin Scale (mRS) and Charlson Comorbidity Index (CCI). Language barriers were defined as a primary language other than English. RESULTS: A total of 374 patients were included. Of this, 76 patients (20.3%) had a language barrier. Mean age was 5 years older for patients with language barriers (76.7 vs 71.8 years, P=0.004). Less non-English speaking patients had pre-morbid mRS score of zero (P=0.002) and more had pre-morbid mRS score of one or two (P=0.04). There was no statistically significant difference between two groups in terms of stroke severity on presentation (P=0.06). The onset to needle time was significantly longer in patients with a language barrier (188 min vs 173 min, P=0.04). Onset to arrival and door to imaging times were surprisingly similar between the two groups. However, imaging to needle time was 9 minutes delayed in non-English speaking patients with a marginal P value (65 vs 56 min, P=0.06). patients with language barriers stayed longer in stroke unit stay (6 vs 4 days, P=0.02) and had higher rates of discharge to residential aged care facilities in those admitted from home (9.2% vs 2.3%, P=0.02). In-hospital mortality was not different between two groups (P=0.8) CONCLUSION: In this study language barriers were associated with almost 14 min delay in thrombolysis. The delay was mostly attributable to imaging to needle time. Language barriers were also associated with poorer clinical outcomes.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Siegler ◽  
Pere Portela ◽  
Juan F Arenillas ◽  
Alba Chavarria-Miranda ◽  
Ana Guillen ◽  
...  

Background: Severe acute respiratory syndrome-coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been associated with a significant risk of thrombotic events in critically ill patients. Aims: To summarize the findings of a multinational observational cohort of patients with SARS-CoV-2 and cerebrovascular disease. Methods: Retrospective observational cohort of consecutive adults evaluated in the emergency department and/or admitted with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) across 31 hospitals in 4 countries (2/1/2020 - 06/16/2020). The primary outcome was the incidence rate of cerebrovascular events, inclusive of acute ischemic stroke, intracranial hemorrhages (ICH), and cortical vein and/or sinus thrombosis (CVST). Results: Of the 14,483 patients with laboratory-confirmed SARS-CoV-2, 172 were diagnosed with an acute cerebrovascular event (1.13% of cohort; 1130/100,000 patients, 95%CI 970-1320/100,000), 68/171 (40.5%) of whom were female and 96/172 (55.8%) were between the ages 60-79 years. Of these, 156 had acute ischemic stroke (1.08%; 1080/100,000 95%CI 920-1260/100,000), 28 ICH (0.19%; 190/100,000 95%CI 130 - 280/100,000) and 3 with CVST (0.02%; 20/100,000, 95%CI 4-60/100,000). The in-hospital mortality rate for SARS-CoV-2-associated stroke was 38.1% and for ICH 58.3%. After adjusting for clustering by site and age, baseline stroke severity, and all predictors of in-hospital mortality found in univariate regression (p<0.1: male sex, tobacco use, arrival by emergency medical services, lower platelet and lymphocyte counts, and intracranial occlusion), cryptogenic stroke mechanism (aOR 5.01, 95%CI 1.63-15.44, p<0.01), older age (aOR 1.78, 95%CI 1.07-2.94, p=0.03), and lower lymphocyte count on admission (aOR 0.58, 95%CI 0.34-0.98 p=0.04) were the only independent predictors of mortality among patients with stroke and COVID-19. Conclusions: COVID-19 is associated with a small but significant risk of clinically relevant cerebrovascular events, particularly ischemic stroke. The mortality rate is high for COVID-19 associated cerebrovascular complications, therefore aggressive monitoring and early intervention should be pursued to mitigate poor outcomes.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Abdullah Ibish ◽  
Philip Sun ◽  
Daniela Markovic ◽  
Roland Faigle ◽  
Rebecca F Gottesman ◽  
...  

Introduction: Stroke mortality has declined, with differential changes by race; stroke is now the 5 th leading cause of death overall, but 2 nd leading cause of death in blacks. Little is known about recent race/ethnic trends in in-hospital mortality after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and whether system-level factors contribute to possible differences. Methods: Using the National Inpatient Sample, adults (>18 yrs) with a primary diagnosis of AIS from 2006 to 2017 (n=763,808) were identified. We assessed in-hospital mortality by race/ethnicity (white, black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacific Islander [API], other), sex, and age. Hospitals were categorized by proportion of minority patients served: <25% minority (white hospitals); 25-50% (mixed hospitals), and >50% (minority hospitals). Using survey adjusted logistic regression, the association between race/ethnicity and odds of mortality was assessed, adjusting for key sociodemographic, clinical, and hospital characteristics (e.g. age, comorbidities, stroke severity, DNR status, and palliative care). Results: Overall, mortality decreased from 5.0% in 2006 to 2.9% in 2017, p<0.001. Comparing 2006-2011 to 2012-2017, there was a 66% reduction in mortality after adjustment for covariates, most prominent in whites (68%) and smallest in blacks (58%). Compared to whites, blacks and Hispanics had lower adjusted odds of mortality (AOR 0.82, 95% CI 0.78-0.86 and AOR 0.92, CI 0.86-0.98), primarily driven by those >65 yrs (age x ethnicity interaction p = 0.003). Compared to white men, black, Hispanic, and API men and black women had lower odds of mortality. Adjusted mortality was lower in minorities vs. whites and most pronounced in white hospitals (white: AOR 0.78, 0.73-0.85; mixed: 0.85, 0.80-0.91; minority: 0.89, 0.82-0.95; interaction effect: p=0.018). These differences were present for both minority men and women in white and mixed hospitals, but not women in minority hospitals. Discussion: AIS mortality decreased dramatically in recent years. Overall, black and Hispanic AIS patients have lower mortality than whites, a difference that is most striking in white hospitals. Further study is needed to understand these differences and to what extent biological, sociocultural, and system-level factors play a role.


PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e1866 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Chin Su ◽  
Kuo-Feng Huang ◽  
Fu-Yi Yang ◽  
Shinn-Kuang Lin

Background. Cardiac morbidities account for 20% of deaths after ischemic stroke and is the second commonest cause of death in acute stroke population. Elevation of cardiac troponin has been regarded as a prognostic biomarker of poor outcome in patients with acute stroke.Methods. This retrospective study enrolled 871 patients with acute ischemic stroke from August 2010 to March 2015. Data included vital signs, laboratory parameters collected in the emergency department, and clinical features during hospitalization. National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), Barthel index, and modified Rankin Scale (mRS) were used to assess stroke severity and outcome.Results.Elevated troponin I (TnI) > 0.01 µg/L was observed in 146 (16.8%) patients. Comparing to patients with normal TnI, patients with elevated TnI were older (median age 77.6 years vs. 73.8 years), had higher median heart rates (80 bpm vs. 78 bpm), higher median white blood cells (8.40 vs. 7.50 1,000/m3) and creatinine levels (1.40 mg/dL vs. 1.10 mg/dL), lower median hemoglobin (13.0 g/dL vs. 13.7 g/dL) and hematocrit (39% vs. 40%) levels, higher median NIHSS scores on admission (11 vs. 4) and at discharge (8 vs. 3), higher median mRS scores (4 vs3) but lower Barthel index scores (20 vs. 75) at discharge (p< 0.001). Multivariate analysis revealed that age ≥ 76 years (OR 2.25, CI [1.59–3.18]), heart rate ≥ 82 bpm (OR 1.47, CI [1.05–2.05]), evidence of clinical deterioration (OR 9.45, CI [4.27–20.94]), NIHSS score ≥ 12 on admission (OR 19.52, CI [9.59–39.73]), and abnormal TnI (OR 1.98, CI [1.18–3.33]) were associated with poor outcome. Significant factors for in-hospital mortality included male gender (OR 3.69, CI [1.45–9.44]), evidence of clinical deterioration (OR 10.78, CI [4.59–25.33]), NIHSS score ≥ 12 on admission (OR 8.08, CI [3.04–21.48]), and elevated TnI level (OR 5.59, CI [2.36–13.27]).C-statistics revealed that abnormal TnI improved the predictive power of both poor outcome and in-hospital mortality. Addition of TnI > 0.01 ug/L or TnI > 0.1 ug/L to the model-fitting significantly improvedc-statistics for in-hospital mortality from 0.887 to 0.926 (p= 0.019) and 0.927 (p= 0.028), respectively.Discussion.Elevation of TnI during acute stroke is a strong independent predictor for both poor outcome and in-hospital mortality. Careful investigation of possible concomitant cardiac disorders is warranted for patients with abnormal troponin levels.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mona Laible ◽  
Ekkehart Jenetzky ◽  
Markus Alfred Möhlenbruch ◽  
Martin Bendszus ◽  
Peter Arthur Ringleb ◽  
...  

Background and Purpose: Clinical outcome and mortality after endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in patients with ischemic stroke are commonly assessed after 3 months. In patients with acute kidney injury (AKI), unfavorable results for 3-month mortality have been reported. However, data on the in-hospital mortality after EVT in this population are sparse. In the present study, we assessed whether AKI impacts in-hospital and 3-month mortality in patients undergoing EVT.Materials and Methods: From a prospectively recruiting database, consecutive acute ischemic stroke patients receiving EVT between 2010 and 2018 due to acute large vessel occlusion were included. Post-contrast AKI (PC-AKI) was defined as an increase of baseline creatinine of ≥0.5 mg/dL or &gt;25% within 48 h after the first measurement at admission. Adjusting for potential confounders, associations between PC-AKI and mortality after stroke were tested in univariate and multivariate logistic regression models.Results: One thousand one hundred sixty-nine patients were included; 166 of them (14.2%) died during the acute hospital stay. Criteria for PC-AKI were met by 29 patients (2.5%). Presence of PC-AKI was associated with a significantly higher risk of in-hospital mortality in multivariate analysis [odds ratio (OR) = 2.87, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.16–7.13, p = 0.023]. Furthermore, factors associated with in-hospital mortality encompassed higher age (OR = 1.03, 95% CI = 1.01–1.04, p = 0.002), stroke severity (OR = 1.05, 95% CI = 1.03–1.08, p &lt; 0.001), symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage (OR = 3.20, 95% CI = 1.69–6.04, p &lt; 0.001), posterior circulation stroke (OR = 2.85, 95% CI = 1.72–4.71, p &lt; 0.001), and failed recanalization (OR = 2.00, 95% CI = 1.35–3.00, p = 0.001).Conclusion: PC-AKI is rare after EVT but represents an important risk factor for in-hospital mortality and for mortality within 3 months after hospital discharge. Preventing PC-AKI after EVT may represent an important and potentially lifesaving effort in future daily clinical practice.


2019 ◽  
Vol 76 (4) ◽  
pp. 373-378
Author(s):  
Angelina Skodric ◽  
Gorica Maric ◽  
Dejana Jovanovic ◽  
Ljiljana Beslac-Bumbasirevic ◽  
Darija Kisic-Tepavcevic ◽  
...  

Background/Aim. Stroke remains one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide. The aim of the study was to determine the nursing care-associated predictors of in-hospital mortality in the patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) who were hospitalized at the Department of Emergency Neurology. Methods. Prospective cohort study included 59 consecutive patients with AIS admitted to the Department of Emergency Neurology, Neurology Clinic, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade. The patients were followed until discharge or death. For exploring a relationship between the outcome of patients with AIS and different groups of factors, the univariate and multivariate Cox proportionate hazard regression models were used. Results. There were 32 male and 27 female patients with AIS. The mean age was 62.5 ? 15.2 years. The average duration of hospitalization was 11.1 ? 9.6 days (median 8 days; range 1?54 days). Almost 80% of patients (47/59; 79.7%) were admitted to the stroke unit, while 12 (20.3%) patients were admitted to the intensive care unit. In the univariate Cox regression analysis the significant variables (p < 0.05) were the Morse score (p = 0.030) and the type of admission unit (p = 0.029). The multivariate predictive model revealed that the type of admission unit (stroke unit vs conventional unit) [hazard ratio (HR) = 0.16; p = 0.032] was the independent predictor of in-hospital mortality in the patients with AIS. Conclusion. The results of this study showed an important role of nursing staff in the recovery of the AIS patients, as well as that admission to the stroke units versus the conventional units is the independent predictor of decreased in-hospital mortality.


Stroke ◽  
2012 ◽  
Vol 43 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bruce Ovbiagele ◽  
Rema Raman ◽  
Thomas M Hemmen ◽  
Brett C Meyer ◽  
Dawn M Meyer ◽  
...  

Background: The 11-item National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) is widely used as an index of stroke severity and prognostication. However, no studies have specifically examined the influence of NIHSS items on care processes and outcomes in Acute Ischemic Stroke (AIS). Furthermore, potential distinctions in neurologic signs of AIS that may contribute to disparities in race-ethnic treatment rates and outcomes have not been evaluated. We assessed the relation of neurological signs on the NIHSS to arrival mode, thrombolysis treatment and clinical outcomes in AIS, and also evaluated the influence of race-ethnicity. Methods: We analyzed the dataset of a hospital network comprising prospectively collected data on AIS patients presenting within 12 hours of ictus between June 2004 and May 2011. Outcomes evaluated were mode of arrival (ambulance vs. other), IV thrombolysis (yes vs. no), discharge destination (home vs. other), unfavorable day-90 functional activity (modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score >1), unfavorable day-90 disability (Barthel Index <95), and day-90 mortality. Outcomes were adjusted for pre-specified covariates in a multivariable logistic regression model. Results: Of 972 AIS patients 462 (48%) were women, 635 (65%) Non-Hispanic White, 162 (17%) White Hispanic, 106 (11%) Black, and 69 (7%) other race/ethnicity. Overall, the presence of extinction/neglect was the strongest predictor of arriving by ambulance (adjusted OR 2.32, 95% CI: 1.53-3.51), and abnormal level of consciousness (LOC) was the strongest predictor of receipt of IV thrombolysis (adjusted OR 2.25, 95% CI: 1.67-3.04), while limb ataxia was the only NIHSS item not significantly associated with either arrival mode or thrombolysis treatment. Presence of gaze preference was the strongest predictor of not going home directly from the hospital (adjusted OR 0.2, 95% CI: 0.14-0.29), unfavorable day-90 functional activity (adjusted OR 0.21, 95% CI: 0.12-0.37) and poor mortality outcome (adjusted OR 5.92, 95% CI: 3.42-10.25), while abnormal LOC was the strongest predictor of unfavorable day-90 disability (adjusted OR 0.27, 95% CI: 0.15-0.47). White Hispanic AIS patients with sensory symptoms were less likely to arrive by ambulance (adjusted OR 0.31, 95%CI: 0.13-0.74) but more likely to go home directly (adjusted OR 2.81, 95% CI: 21.31-6.02), while Black AIS patients with abnormal level of consciousness were more likely to receive IV thrombolysis (adjusted OR 4.69, 1.80-12.26). Conclusions: Specific items on the NIHSS are strongly related to hospital arrival mode, thrombolysis treatment, and clinical outcomes among AIS patients. Some of these associations vary by race and ethnicity. These results could aid prognostication and identify areas in the community, pre-hospital and emergency department phases of stroke care requiring more education, training, or intervention, to boost AIS outcomes.


Stroke ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gustavo Saposnik ◽  
S. C Johnston ◽  
Matthew Reeves ◽  
Philip M Bath ◽  
Bruce Ovbiagele ◽  
...  

Background: The iScore is a validated tool developed to estimate the risk of death and functional outcomes early after an acute ischemic stroke. It includes demographics, stroke severity and subtype, comorbidities, pre-stroke status, and glucose on admission. Objective: To determine the ability of the iScore to predict the clinical response after iv thrombolysis (tPA) in the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive (VISTA). Methods: We applied the iScore (www.sorcan.ca/iscore) to patients with an acute ischemic stroke within the VISTA collaboration. We explored the association between the iScore (as continuous and binary [<200 and ≥200] measures) and the outcomes of interest. Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was death or disability at 90 days defined as a modified Rankin scale (mRS) 4-to-6. Secondary outcomes included death at 90 days and favorable outcome (mRS 0-2). Results: Among 7140 patients with an acute ischemic stroke, 2732 (38.5%) received tPA and 712 (10%) had an iScore ≥200. Patients with higher iScore had worse clinical outcomes (p<0.0001 for all outcomes; c-statistics 0.777 for mRS0-6 and 0.748 for death at 90 days). Overall, an iScore ≥200 was associated with nine fold higher risk of death or disability at 90 days (OR 9.41, 95%CI 7.00-12.6). Similar trends were observed for secondary outcomes (Figure). tPA administration in stroke patients with an iScore≥200 was associated with a lower risk of death or disability at 90 days (OR 0.48; 95%CI 0.32-0.72). There was a direct interaction between the iScore and tPA for both death or disability and death alone at 90 days (p-value for the interaction <0.001). Conclusion: The iScore is a useful tool that can be used to estimate clinical outcomes after tPA. Although outcomes were poorer for the high-risk group (iScore≥200), the benefits of tPA in this group were greater than for low-risk patients. Figure


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ayham Alkhachroum ◽  
Antonio Bustillo ◽  
Negar Asdaghi ◽  
Erika T Marulanda-londono ◽  
Carolina M Gutierrez ◽  
...  

Background: Impaired level of consciousness (LOC) on presentation after acute ischemic stroke (AIS) may affect outcomes and the decision to withdraw life-sustaining treatment (WLST). We aim to investigate the outcomes and their trends after AISby the LOC on stroke presentation. Methods: We studied 238,989 cases with AIS in the Florida Stroke Registry from 2010-2019. Pearson chi-squared and Kruskall-Wallis tests were used to compare descriptive statistics. A multivariable-logistic regression with GEE accounted for basic demographics, comorbidities, stroke severity, location, hospital size and teaching status. Results: At stroke presentation, 32,861 (14%) cases had impaired LOC (mean age 77, 54% women, 60 white%, 19% Black, 16% Hispanic). Compared to cases with preserved LOC, impaired cases were older (77 vs. 72 years old), more women (54% vs. 48%), had more comorbidities, greater stroke severity on NIHSS ≥ 5 (49% vs. 27%), higher WLST rates (3% vs. 0.6%), and greater in-hospital mortality rates (9% vs. 3%). In our adjusted model however, no significant association was found between impaired LOC and in-hospital mortality, or length of stay. Those with preserved LOC were more likely discharged home/rehab (OR 0.7, 95%CI 0.6-0.8, p<0.0001) and more likely to ambulate independently (OR 0.7, 95%CI 0.6-0.9, p=0.001). Trend analysis (2010-2019) showed decreased mortality, increased length of stay, and increased rates of discharge to home/rehab in all irrespective of LOC status. Conclusion: In this large multicenter registry, AIS cases presenting with impaired LOC had more severe strokes at presentation. Although LOC was not associated with significantly worse in-hospital morality, it was associated with higher rates of WLST and more disability among survivors. Future efforts should focus on biomarkers of LOC that discriminates the potential for early recovery and reduced disability in acute stroke patients with impaired LOC.


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