Wenqin Pan

Get With the Guidelines-Stroke Is Associated With Sustained Improvement in Care for Patients Hospitalized With Acute Stroke or Transient Ischemic Attack

Background— Adherence to evidence-based guidelines for treatment of stroke or transient ischemic attack is suboptimal. We sought to establish whether participation in Get With the Guidelines–Stroke was associated with improvements in adherence. Methods and Results— This prospective, nonrandomized, national quality improvement program measured adherence to guideline recommendations in 322 847 hospitalized patients discharged with a diagnosis of ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. A volunteer sample of 790 US academic and community hospitals participated from 2003 through 2007. The main outcome measures were change in adherence over time to 7 prespecified performance measures and a composite measure (total number of interventions provided in eligible patients divided by total number of care opportunities among eligible patients). Generalized estimating equations were used to identify factors associated with improvement. Participation in Get With the Guidelines–Stroke was associated with improvements in the 7 individual and 1 composite measures from baseline to the fifth year: intravenous thrombolytics (42.09% versus 72.84%), early antithrombotics (91.46% versus 97.04%), deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis (73.79% versus 89.54%), discharge antithrombotics (95.68% versus 98.88%), anticoagulation for atrial fibrillation (95.03% versus 98.39%), lipid treatment for low-density lipoprotein >100 mg/dL (73.63% versus 88.29%), smoking cessation (65.21% versus 93.61%), and composite (83.52% versus 93.97%) (P<0.0001 for all comparisons). Multivariate analysis showed that time in Get With the Guidelines–Stroke was associated with a 1.18-fold yearly increase in the odds of fulfilling care opportunities that was independent of secular trends. Conclusions— Get With the Guidelines–Stroke participation was associated with increased adherence to all stroke performance measures. Markedly improved stroke care was seen in all hospitals regardless of size, geography, and teaching status.

Time to Treatment With Intravenous Tissue Plasminogen Activator and Outcome From Acute Ischemic Stroke

IMPORTANCE Randomized clinical trials suggest the benefit of intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA) in acute ischemic stroke is time dependent. However, modest sample sizes have limited characterization of the extent to which onset to treatment (OTT) time influences outcome; and the generalizability of findings to clinical practice is uncertain. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the degree to which OTT time is associated with outcome among patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with intraveneous tPA. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS Data were analyzed from 58,353 patients with acute ischemic stroke treated with tPA within 4.5 hours of symptom onset in 1395 hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Program, April 2003 to March 2012. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Relationship between OTT time and in-hospital mortality, symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, ambulatory status at discharge, and discharge destination. RESULTS Among the 58,353 tPA-treated patients, median age was 72 years, 50.3% were women, median OTT time was 144 minutes (interquartile range, 115-170), 9.3% (5404) had OTT time of 0 to 90 minutes, 77.2% (45,029) had OTT time of 91 to 180 minutes, and 13.6% (7920) had OTT time of 181 to 270 minutes. Median pretreatment National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale documented in 87.7% of patients was 11 (interquartile range, 6-17). Patient factors most strongly associated with shorter OTT included greater stroke severity (odds ratio [OR], 2.8; 95% CI, 2.5-3.1 per 5-point increase), arrival by ambulance (OR, 5.9; 95% CI, 4.5-7.3), and arrival during regular hours (OR, 4.6; 95% CI, 3.8-5.4). Overall, there were 5142 (8.8%) in-hospital deaths, 2873 (4.9%) patients had intracranial hemorrhage, 19,491 (33.4%) patients achieved independent ambulation at hospital discharge, and 22,541 (38.6%) patients were discharged to home. Faster OTT, in 15-minute increments, was associated with reduced in-hospital mortality (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.98; P < .001), reduced symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (OR, 0.96; 95% CI, 0.95-0.98; P < .001), increased achievement of independent ambulation at discharge (OR, 1.04; 95% CI, 1.03-1.05; P < .001), and increased discharge to home (OR, 1.03; 95% CI, 1.02-1.04; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In a registry representing US clinical practice, earlier thrombolytic treatment was associated with reduced mortality and symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage, and higher rates of independent ambulation at discharge and discharge to home following acute ischemic stroke. These findings support intensive efforts to accelerate hospital presentation and thrombolytic treatment in patients with stroke.

Race/ethnicity, quality of care, and outcomes in ischemic stroke.

Background— Prior studies suggest differences in stroke care associated with race/ethnicity. We sought to determine whether such differences existed in a population of black, Hispanic, and white patients hospitalized with stroke among hospitals participating in a quality-improvement program. Methods and Results— We analyzed in-hospital mortality and 7 stroke performance measures among 397 257 patients admitted with ischemic stroke to 1181 hospitals participating in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program 2003 through 2008. Relative to white patients, black and Hispanic patients were younger and more often had diabetes mellitus and hypertension. After adjustment for both patient- and hospital-level variables, black patients had lower odds relative to white patients of receiving intravenous thrombolysis (odds ratio [OR], 0.84; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.77 to 0.91), deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.83 to 0.92), smoking cessation (OR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.79 to 0.91), discharge antithrombotics (OR, 0.88; 95% CI, 0.84 to 0.92), anticoagulants for atrial fibrillation (OR, 0.84; 95% CI, 0.75 to 0.94), and lipid therapy (OR, 0.91; 95% CI, 0.88 to 0.96), and of dying in-hospital (OR, 0.90; 95% CI, 0.85 to 0.95). Hispanic patients received similar care as their white counterparts on all 7 measures and had similar in-hospital mortality. Black (OR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.28 to 1.35) and Hispanic (OR, 1.16; 95% CI, 1.11 to 1.20) patients had higher odds of exceeding the median length of hospital stay relative to whites. During the study, quality of care improved in all 3 race/ethnicity groups. Conclusions— Black patients with stroke received fewer evidence-based care processes than Hispanic or white patients. These differences could lead to increased risk of recurrent stroke. Quality of care improved substantially in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Program over time for all 3 racial/ethnic groups.

Secondary preventive medication persistence and adherence 1 year after stroke

Objective: Data on long-term use of secondary prevention medications following stroke are limited. The Adherence eValuation After Ischemic stroke–Longitudinal (AVAIL) Registry assessed patient, provider, and system-level factors influencing continuation of prevention medications for 1 year following stroke hospitalization discharge. Methods: Patients with ischemic stroke or TIA discharged from 106 hospitals participating in the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines–Stroke program were surveyed to determine their use of warfarin, antiplatelet, antihypertensive, lipid-lowering, and diabetes medications from discharge to 12 months. Reasons for stopping medications were ascertained. Persistence was defined as continuation of all secondary preventive medications prescribed at hospital discharge, and adherence as continuation of prescribed medications except those stopped according to health care provider instructions. Results: Of the 2,880 patients enrolled in AVAIL, 88.4% (2,457 patients) completed 1-year interviews. Of these, 65.9% were regimen persistent and 86.6% were regimen adherent. Independent predictors of 1-year medication persistence included fewer medications prescribed at discharge, having an adequate income, having an appointment with a primary care provider, and greater understanding of why medications were prescribed and their side effects. Independent predictors of adherence were similar to those for persistence. Conclusions: Although up to one-third of stroke patients discontinued one or more secondary prevention medications within 1 year of hospital discharge, self-discontinuation of these medications is uncommon. Several potentially modifiable patient, provider, and system-level factors associated with persistence and adherence may be targets for future interventions.

Off-Hour Admission and In-Hospital Stroke Case Fatality in the Get With The Guidelines-Stroke Program

Background and Purpose— Previous reports have shown higher in-hospital mortality for patients with acute stroke who arrived on weekends compared with regular workdays. We analyzed the effect of presenting during off-hours, defined as weekends and weeknights (versus weekdays), on in-hospital mortality and on quality of care in the Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)-Stroke program. Methods— We analyzed data from 187 669 acute ischemic stroke and 34 845 acute hemorrhagic stroke admissions who presented to the emergency departments of 857 hospitals that participated in the GWTG-Stroke program during the 4-year period 2003 to 2007. Off-hour presentation was defined as presentation anytime outside of 7:00 am to 6:00 pm on weekdays. Quality of care was measured using standard GWTG quality indicators covering acute, subacute, and discharge measures. The relationship between off-hour presentation and in-hospital case fatality was examined using generalized estimating equation logistic regression adjusting for demographics, risk factors, arrival mode, and hospital characteristics. Results— Half of ischemic stroke admissions and 57% of hemorrhagic stroke admissions presented during off-hours. Among ischemic stroke admissions, the in-hospital case fatality rate was 5.8% for off-hour presentation compared with 5.2% for on-hour presentation (P<0.001). For hemorrhagic stroke admissions, in-hospital case fatality was 27.2% for off-hour presentation compared with 24.1% for on-hour presentation (P<0.001). After adjusting for patient-level and hospital-level factors, presentation during off-hours was significantly associated with higher in-hospital mortality for both ischemic stroke (adjusted OR, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.03 to 1.14) and hemorrhagic stroke admissions (adjusted OR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.12 to 1.27). No differences were observed between off-hour presentation and any of the quality of care measures. Conclusions— Off-hour presentation was associated with an increased risk of dying in-hospital, although the absolute effect was small for ischemic stroke admissions (0.6% difference; number needed to harm=166) and moderate for hemorrhagic stroke (3.1% difference; number needed to harm=32). Reducing the disparity in hospital-based outcomes for admissions that present during off-hours represents a potential target for quality improvement efforts, although evidence of differences in the quality of care by time of presentation was lacking.

Achieving rapid reperfusion with primary percutaneous coronary intervention remains a challenge: Insights from American Heart Association's Get With the Guidelines program

BACKGROUND The speed of reperfusion (door-to-balloon [D2B] time) is a well established performance metric for patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction. Although preferably D2B times should be <or=90 minutes, it is unclear how consistently this is achieved in community practice, particularly in women, elderly people, and minorities. METHODS We used the American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines database to study D2B times at 254 participating United States sites (2002-2006). Median D2B time and percentage of compliance with goal (percutaneous coronary interventions [PCI] <or=90 minutes) were assessed overall, over time, and among patient subgroups associated with the greatest delay in this time (older patients, women, and minorities). Standard generalized estimating equation was used to assess continuous trend, percentage of compliance (PCI <or=90 minutes) over time, and disparities in care based on race, sex, and age. RESULTS Over the study period, 10965 patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction who met eligibility criteria received primary PCI (36% aged >or=65 years, 27% female, and 17% nonwhite). The overall median D2B time was 96 minutes (interquartile range [IQR] 69-140 minutes). Only 44.8% of cases had D2B <or=90 minutes. Median D2B time improved over the study period (108 minutes at baseline [fourth quarter of 2002] to 82 minutes by the last study quarter [third quarter of 2006], adjusted P = .001). The percentage achieving D2B <or=90 minutes also improved (36.2%-58.8%, adjusted P = .003). Relative to their peers, patients aged >or=65 years (103 [IQR 74-153] vs 93 [IQR 67-133] minutes), women (103 [IQR 73-154] vs 94 [IQR 68-135] minutes), and minorities (108 [IQR 77-162] vs 95 [IQR 68-136] minutes) had significantly longer median D2B times. These subgroup disparities in the D2B persisted over the study period as compared with their peers. CONCLUSION The median D2B times with primary PCI have improved modestly in hospitals participating in the American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines program over the last few years but remain below ideal levels. The D2B times are particularly delayed in the elderly people, women, and minority populations; an issue that has persisted over time. These results highlight the ongoing need for national myocardial infarction quality improvement initiatives.

Hospital-Level Variation in Mortality and Rehospitalization for Medicare Beneficiaries With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Stroke is the second leading cause of hospital admission among older adults in the United States. However, little is known regarding contemporary ischemic stroke mortality and rehospitalization rates for Medicare beneficiaries and how they vary by hospital. Methods— We analyzed outcome data from 91 134 Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries treated at 625 Get With The Guidelines–Stroke hospitals between April 2003 and December 2006. Within each hospital, 30-day and 1-year death or all-cause readmission rates were calculated with and without risk adjustment. Results— In this cohort, mean age was 79.3 years, 58% were female, and 82% were white. In-hospital, 30-day, and 1-year unadjusted mortality from admission were 6.1%, 14.1%, and 31.1%, respectively, for participating hospitals. The median hospital-level 30-day unadjusted death or readmission rate after discharge was 21.4% (10th to 90th 14.4% to 28.6%). The overall rate of death or rehospitalization within 1 year of hospital discharge was 61.9%. Risk-adjusted rates varied widely by hospital at each time point. There were no improvements in death or rehospitalization from 2003 to 2006. Hospital-level performance in risk-adjusted outcomes did not significantly differ by size or primary stroke center designation, but academic hospitals and those in the Northeast or West had slightly more favorable outcomes. Conclusions— Nearly two thirds of the Medicare beneficiaries discharged after ischemic stroke died or were rehospitalized within 1 year, but hospital-level outcomes varied considerably. These findings underscore the need to better understand the patterns and causes of deaths and readmission after ischemic stroke and to develop strategies aimed at avoiding those that are preventable.

Relationship of National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale to 30-Day Mortality in Medicare Beneficiaries With Acute Ischemic Stroke

Background The National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS), a well-validated tool for assessing initial stroke severity, has previously been shown to be associated with mortality in acute ischemic stroke. However, the relationship, optimal categorization, and risk discrimination with the NIHSS for predicting 30-day mortality among Medicare beneficiaries with acute ischemic stroke has not been well studied. Methods and Results We analyzed data from 33102 fee-for-service Medicare beneficiaries treated at 404 Get With The Guidelines-Stroke hospitals between April 2003 and December 2006 with NIHSS documented. The 30-day mortality rate by NIHSS as a continuous variable and by risk-tree determined or prespecified categories were analyzed, with discrimination of risk quantified by the c-statistic. In this cohort, mean age was 79.0 years and 58% were female. The median NIHSS score was 5 (25th to 75th percentile 2 to 12). There were 4496 deaths in the first 30 days (13.6%). There was a strong graded relation between increasing NIHSS score and higher 30-day mortality. The 30-day mortality rates for acute ischemic stroke by NIHSS categories were as follows: 0 to 7, 4.2%; 8 to 13, 13.9%; 14 to 21, 31.6%; 22 to 42, 53.5%. A model with NIHSS alone provided excellent discrimination whether included as a continuous variable (c-statistic 0.82 [0.81 to 0.83]), 4 categories (c-statistic 0.80 [0.79 to 0.80]), or 3 categories (c-statistic 0.79 [0.78 to 0.79]). Conclusions The NIHSS provides substantial prognostic information regarding 30-day mortality risk in Medicare beneficiaries with acute ischemic stroke. This index of stroke severity is a very strong discriminator of mortality risk, even in the absence of other clinical information, whether used as a continuous or categorical risk determinant. (J Am Heart Assoc. 2012;1:42-50.)

Persistence With Stroke Prevention Medications 3 Months After Hospitalization

OBJECTIVE To measure longitudinal use of stroke prevention medications following stroke hospital discharge. We hypothesized that a combination of patient-, provider-, and system-level factors influence medication-taking behavior. DESIGN Observational cohort design. SETTING One hundred six US hospitals participating in the American Heart Association Get With The Guidelines-Stroke program. PATIENTS Two thousand eight hundred eighty-eight patients 18 years or older admitted with ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Regimen persistence, including use of antiplatelet therapies, warfarin, antihypertensive therapies, lipid-lowering therapies, or diabetes medications, from discharge to 3 months. Reasons for nonpersistence were also ascertained. RESULTS Two thousand five hundred ninety-eight patients (90.0%) were eligible for analysis. At 3 months, 75.5% of subjects continued taking all secondary prevention medications prescribed at discharge. Persistence at 3 months was associated with decreasing number of medication classes prescribed, increasing age, medical history, less severe stroke disability, having insurance, working status, understanding why medications are prescribed and how to refill them, increased quality of life, financial hardship, geographic region, and hospital size. CONCLUSIONS One-quarter of stroke patients reported discontinuing 1 or more of their prescribed regimen of secondary prevention medications within 3 months of hospitalization for an acute stroke. Several modifiable factors associated with regimen persistence were identified and could be targets for improving long-term secondary stroke prevention.

Representativeness of the Get With The Guidelines–Stroke Registry Comparison of Patient and Hospital Characteristics Among Medicare Beneficiaries Hospitalized With Ischemic Stroke

Background and Purpose— Get With The Guidelines (GWTG)—Stroke is a large quality improvement-based registry of acute stroke; however, its generalizability is unclear. We used fee-for-service Medicare claims to ascertain the representativeness of ischemic stroke admissions in GWTG-Stroke. Methods— All 228 815 ischemic stroke admissions aged ≥65 years enrolled in GWTG-Stroke between April 2003 and December 2007 were linked to 926 756 unique fee-for-service Medicare patients with ischemic stroke (primary International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision discharge code 434 or 436) from the same period. Patient characteristics and in-hospital outcomes were compared between the linked GWTG-Stroke Medicare cohort and the remaining unlinked Medicare cohort. Characteristics of GWTG-Stroke hospitals were compared with non-GWTG-Stroke hospitals. Results— A total of 144 344 of the 228,815 GWTG-Stroke admissions (63.1%) were successfully linked to the 926 756 Medicare ischemic stroke beneficiaries, leaving 782 412 unlinked Medicare patients. Differences in patient characteristics, including age, race, gender, and comorbidities, between the linked and unlinked Medicare cohorts were minimal. Length of stay and rate of discharge home were almost identical between the linked and unlinked groups; however, in-hospital mortality was slightly lower in the linked Medicare cohort (6.3%) compared with the unlinked cohort (7.0%). There were large differences in hospital characteristics between GWTG-Stroke and non-GWTG-Stroke hospitals; GWTG-Stroke hospitals tended to be larger, urban, teaching centers. Conclusions— Despite substantial differences between GWTG-Stroke and non-GWTG-Stroke hospitals, Medicare beneficiaries with acute ischemic stroke entered in the GWTG-Stroke program were similar to other Medicare beneficiaries. These data suggest that the Medicare-aged GWTG-Stroke ischemic stroke admissions are generally representative of the national fee-for-service Medicare ischemic stroke population.