Hospital-based cohort study to determine the association between home-time and disability after stroke by age, sex, stroke type and study year in Canada

Association Between Time to Treatment With Endovascular Thrombectomy and Home-Time After Acute Ischemic Stroke

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

Home-time is a patient-prioritized stroke outcome that can be derived from administrative data linkages. The effect of faster time-to-treatment with endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) on home-time after acute stroke is unknown.

METHODS

We used the Quality Improvement and Clinical Research registry to identify a cohort of patients who received EVT for acute ischemic stroke between 2015 and 2022 in Alberta, Canada. We calculated days at home in the first 90 days after stroke. We used ordinal regression across 6 ordered categories of home-time to evaluate the association between onset-to-arterial puncture and higher home-time, adjusting for age, sex, rural residence, NIH Stroke Scale, comorbidities, intravenous thrombolysis, and year of treatment. We used restricted cubic splines to assess the nonlinear relationship between continuous variation in time metrics and higher home-time, and also reported the adjusted odds ratios within time categories. We additionally evaluated door-to-puncture and reperfusion times. Finally, we analyzed home-time with zero-inflated models to determine the minutes of earlier treatment required to gain 1 day of home-time.

RESULTS

We had 1,885 individuals in our final analytic sample. There was a nonlinear increase in home-time with faster treatment when EVT was within 4 hours of stroke onset or 2 hours of hospital arrival. There was a higher odds of achieving more days at home when onset-to-puncture time was <2 hours (adjusted odds ratio 2.36, 95% CI 1.77-3.16) and 2 to <4 hours (1.37, 95% CI 1.11-1.71) compared with ≥6 hours, and when door-to-puncture time was <1 hour (aOR 2.25, 95% CI 1.74-2.90), 1 to <1.5 hours (aOR 1.89, 95% CI 1.47-2.41), and 1.5 to <2 hours (1.35, 95% CI 1.04-1.76) compared with ≥2 hours. Results were consistent for reperfusion times. For every hour of faster treatment within 6 hours of stroke onset, there was an estimated increase in home-time of 4.7 days, meaning that approximately 1 day of home-time was gained for each 12.8 minutes of faster treatment.

DISCUSSION

Faster time-to-treatment with EVT for acute stroke was associated with greater home-time, particularly within 4 hours of onset-to-puncture and 2 hours of door-to-puncture time. Within 6 hours of stroke onset, each 13 minutes of faster treatment is associated with a gain of 1 day of home-time.

Age-Specific Association of Co-Morbidity With Home-Time After Acute Stroke

OBJECTIVE

To examine the association of co-morbidity with home-time after acute stroke and whether the association is influenced by age.

METHODS

We conducted a province-wide study using linked administrative databases to identify all admissions for first acute ischemic stroke or intracerebral hemorrhage between 2007 and 2018 in Alberta, Canada. We used ischemic stroke-weighted Charlson Co-morbidity Index of 3 or more to identify those with severe co-morbidity. We used zero-inflated negative binomial models to determine the association of severe co-morbidity with 90-day and 1-year home-time, and logistic models for achieving ≥ 80 out of 90 days of home-time, assessing for effect modification by age and adjusting for sex, stroke type, comprehensive stroke center care, hypertension, atrial fibrillation, year of study, and separately adjusting for estimated stroke severity. We also evaluated individual co-morbidities.

RESULTS

Among 28,672 patients in our final cohort, severe co-morbidity was present in 27.7% and was associated with lower home-time, with a greater number of days lost at younger age (-13 days at age < 60 compared to -7 days at age 80+ years for 90-day home-time; -69 days at age < 60 compared to -51 days at age 80+ years for 1-year home-time). The reduction in probability of achieving ≥ 80 days of home-time was also greater at younger age (-22.7% at age < 60 years compared to -9.0% at age 80+ years). Results were attenuated but remained significant after adjusting for estimated stroke severity and excluding those who died. Myocardial infarction, diabetes, and cancer/metastases had a greater association with lower home-time at younger age, and those with dementia had the greatest reduction in home time.

CONCLUSION

Severe co-morbidity in acute stroke is associated with lower home-time, more strongly at younger age.

External validation of the Passive Surveillance Stroke Severity Indicator

BACKGROUND

The Passive Surveillance Stroke Severity (PaSSV) Indicator was derived to estimate stroke severity from variables in administrative datasets but has not been externally validated.

METHODS

We used linked administrative datasets to identify patients with first hospitalization for acute stroke between 2007-2018 in Alberta, Canada. We used the PaSSV indicator to estimate stroke severity. We used Cox proportional hazard models and evaluated the change in hazard ratios and model discrimination for 30-day and 1-year case fatality with and without PaSSV. Similar comparisons were made for 90-day home time thresholds using logistic regression. We also linked with a clinical registry to obtain National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS) and compared estimates from models without stroke severity, with PaSSV, and with NIHSS.

RESULTS

There were 28,672 patients with acute stroke in the full sample. In comparison to no stroke severity, addition of PaSSV to the 30-day case fatality models resulted in improvement in model discrimination (C-statistic 0.72 [95%CI 0.71-0.73] to 0.80 [0.79-0.80]). After adjustment for PaSSV, admission to a comprehensive stroke center was associated with lower 30-day case fatality (adjusted hazard ratio changed from 1.03 [0.96-1.10] to 0.72 [0.67-0.77]). In the registry sample (N = 1328), model discrimination for 30-day case fatality improved with the inclusion of stroke severity. Results were similar for 1-year case fatality and home time outcomes.

CONCLUSION

Addition of PaSSV improved model discrimination for case fatality and home time outcomes. The validity of PASSV in two Canadian provinces suggests that it is a useful tool for baseline risk adjustment in acute stroke.

The Allure of Big Data to Improve Stroke Outcomes: Review of Current Literature

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

To critically appraise literature on recent advances and methods using "big data" to evaluate stroke outcomes and associated factors.

RECENT FINDINGS

Recent big data studies provided new evidence on the incidence of stroke outcomes, and important emerging predictors of these outcomes. Main highlights included the identification of COVID-19 infection and exposure to a low-dose particulate matter as emerging predictors of mortality post-stroke. Demographic (age, sex) and geographical (rural vs. urban) disparities in outcomes were also identified. There was a surge in methodological (e.g., machine learning and validation) studies aimed at maximizing the efficiency of big data for improving the prediction of stroke outcomes. However, considerable delays remain between data generation and publication. Big data are driving rapid innovations in research of stroke outcomes, generating novel evidence for bridging practice gaps. Opportunity exists to harness big data to drive real-time improvements in stroke outcomes.

Association between Palliative Care, Days at Home, and Health Care Use in Patients with Advanced COPD: A Cohort Study

RATIONALE

Palliative care focuses on improving quality of life for patients with life-limiting conditions. While previous studies have shown palliative care to be associated with reduced acute health care use in people with cancer and other illnesses, these findings may not generalize to patients with COPD.

OBJECTIVES

We examined the association between palliative care and rates of days at home, location of death, and acute health care use in patients with COPD.

METHODS

We used health administrative databases in Ontario, Canada to identify patients with advanced COPD hospitalized between April 2010 and March 2017 and followed until March 2018. Patients who received palliative care were matched 1:1 to those who did not on age, sex, long-term oxygen, previous COPD hospitalizations and propensity scores. Rate ratios (RR) were estimated using Poisson models with generalized estimating equations to account for matching.

RESULTS

Among 35,492 patients, 1,788 (5%) received palliative care. In the matched cohort (1,721 pairs), people with COPD receiving palliative care had similar rates of days at home (RR=1.01, 95% CI [0.97, 1.05]) but were more likely to die at home (16.4% vs. 10.0%, p<0.001) compared to those who did not receive palliative care. Rates of healthcare utilization were similar except for increased hospitalizations in the palliative care group (RR=1.09, 95% CI [1.01, 1.18]).

CONCLUSIONS

Receipt of palliative care did not reduce days at home or healthcare utilization but was associated with a modest increase in proportion dying at home. Future work should evaluate palliative care strategies designed specifically for patients with COPD.

Intracerebral Hemorrhage Incidence, Mortality, and Association With Oral Anticoagulation Use: A Population Study

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Spontaneous intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a devastating form of stroke associated with significant morbidity and mortality. Recent epidemiological data on incidence, mortality, and association with oral anticoagulation are needed.

METHODS

Retrospective cohort study of adult patients (≥18 years) with ICH in the entire population of Ontario, Canada (April 1, 2009-March 30, 2019). We captured outcome data using linked health administrative databases. The primary outcome was mortality during hospitalization, as well as at 1 year following ICH.

RESULTS

We included 20 738 patients with ICH. Mean (SD) age was 71.3 (15.1) years, and 52.6% of patients were male. Overall incidence of ICH throughout the study period was 19.1/100 000 person-years and did not markedly change over the study period. In-hospital and 1-year mortality were high (32.4% and 45.4%, respectively). Mortality at 2 years was 49.5%. Only 14.5% of patients were discharged home independently. Over the study period, both in-hospital and 1-year mortality reduced by 10.4% (37.5% to 27.1%, P<0.001) and 7.6% (50.0% to 42.4%, P<0.001), respectively. Use of oral anticoagulation was associated with both in-hospital mortality (adjusted odds ratio 1.37 [95% CI, 1.26-1.49]) and 1-year mortality (hazard ratio, 1.18 [95% CI, 1.12-1.25]) following ICH.

CONCLUSIONS

Both short- and long-term mortality have decreased in the past decade. Most survivors from ICH are likely to be discharged to long-term care. Oral anticoagulation is associated with both short- and long-term mortality following ICH. These findings highlight the devastating nature of ICH, but also identify significant improvement in outcomes over time.

Measuring stroke outcomes for 74 501 patients using linked administrative data: System-wide estimates and validation of 'home-time' as a surrogate measure of functional status

AIMS

Administrative data offer cost-effective, whole-of-population stroke surveillance yet the lack of validated measures of functional status is a shortcoming. The number of days spent living at home after stroke ('home-time') is a patient-centred outcome that can be objectively ascertained from administrative data. Population-based validation against both severity and outcome measures and for all subtypes is lacking. We aimed to report representative 'home-time' estimates and validate 'home-time' as a surrogate measure of functional status after stroke.

METHODS

Stroke hospitalisations from a state-wide census in New South Wales, Australia, from January 1, 2005 to March 31, 2014 were linked to prehospital data, poststroke admissions and deaths. We correlated 90-day 'home-time' with Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS) scores, measured upon a patient's initial contact with paramedics and Functional Independence Measure (FIM) scores, measured upon entry to rehabilitation after the acute hospital stroke admission. Negative binomial regressions identified predictors of 'home-time'.

RESULTS

Patients with stroke (N = 74 501) spent a median of 53 days living at home 90 days after the event. Median 'home-time' was 60 days after ischaemic stroke, 49 days after subarachnoid haemorrhage and 0 days after intracerebral haemorrhage. GCS and FIM scores significantly correlated with 'home-time' (P < .001). Women spent significantly less time at home compared with men after stroke, although being married increased 'home-time' after ischaemic stroke and subarachnoid haemorrhage.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the immediate and adverse impact of stroke. 'Home-time' measured using administrative data is a robust, replicable and valid patient-centred outcome enabling inexpensive population-based surveillance and system-wide quality assessment.