Mortality and functional outcomes of endovascular stroke therapy in the United States

Background: We sought to evaluate the nationwide trends in the characteristics and outcomes of for endovascular stroke therapy in contemporary practice.

Methods: We selected patients with acute ischemic stroke who underwent endovascular stroke therapy between 01 October 2015 and 30 September 2019 in a large academic consortium database. The end points of this study were (a) in-hospital mortality and functional outcomes and, (b) predictors of poor functional outcome, defined as death or discharge to hospice, or to a long-term nursing facility.

Results: Among the 22,193 included patients; 50.3% were females, and 66.5% were white. Mean age was 68±15 years. Poor functional outcomes occurred in 8,274 patients (37.4%), of whom 2,741 (12.4%) died in the hospital, 1,345 (6.1%) were discharged to hospice, and 4,188 (18.9%) were discharged to other long-term facilities. Most common in-hospital complications were mechanical ventilation (32.3%), intracranial hemorrhage (18.9%), and acute kidney injury (15.6%). Median total and intensive-care length-of-stay were 7 days (IQR = 4-9), and 2 days (IQR = 1-4), respectively. Median cost was $36,609 (IQR = $26,034-$54,313). In a multi-logistic regression analysis; age, hypertension, diabetes, anemia, heart failure, vascular disease, chronic pulmonary disease, renal insufficiency, Medicare/medicaid insurance, transfer from nonendovascular capable hospital, and low procedural volume independently predicted poor functional outcomes. Tissue plasminogen activator use was associated with better functional outcomes.

Conclusion: There is a substantial growth in the performance of endovascular stroke interventions in the United States in recent years, and those were associated with favorable short-term outcomes.