Treatment of Acute Intracranial Vertebrobasilar Dissection with Angioplasty and Stent Placement: Report of Two Cases

Acute vertebrobasilar dissection may cause subarachnoid hemorrhage by rupturing through the adventia or cerebral infarct by progressive occlusion of the true lumen. Recent reports on the endovascular management of this condition have focused on treatment of pseudoaneurysms. We report two cases where angioplasty or stent placement was successfully used to improve compromised blood flow secondary to vertebrobasilar dissection

Racial-Ethnic Disparities in Acute Stroke Care in the Florida-Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities Study

Background-Racial-ethnic disparities in acute stroke care can contribute to inequality in stroke outcomes. We examined raceethnic disparities in acute stroke performance metrics in a voluntary stroke registry among Florida and Puerto Rico Get With the Guidelines-Stroke hospitals. Methods and Results-Seventy-five sites in the Florida Puerto Rico Stroke Registry (66 Florida and 9 Puerto Rico) recorded 58 864 ischemic stroke cases (2010-2014). Logistic regression models examined racial-ethnic differences in acute stroke performance measures and defect-free care (intravenous tissue plasminogen activator treatment, in-hospital antithrombotic therapy, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, discharge antithrombotic therapy, appropriate anticoagulation therapy, statin use, smoking cessation counseling) and temporal trends. Among ischemic stroke cases, 63% were non-Hispanic white (NHW), 18% were non-Hispanic black (NHB), 14% were Hispanic living in Florida, and 6% were Hispanic living in Puerto Rico. NHW patients were the oldest, followed by Hispanics, and NHBs. Defect-free care was greatest among NHBs (81%), followed by NHWs (79%) and Florida Hispanics (79%), then Puerto Rico Hispanics (57%) (P \u3c 0.0001). Puerto Rico Hispanics were less likely than Florida whites to meet any stroke care performance metric other than anticoagulation. Defect-free care improved for all groups during 2010-2014, but the disparity in Puerto Rico persisted (2010: NHWs=63%, NHBs=65%, Florida Hispanics=59%, Puerto Rico Hispanics=31%; 2014: NHWs=93%, NHBs=94%, Florida Hispanics=94%, Puerto Rico Hispanics=63%). Conclusions-Racial-ethnic/geographic disparities were observed for acute stroke care performance metrics. Adoption of a quality improvement program improved stroke care from 2010 to 2014 in Puerto Rico and all Florida racial-ethnic groups. However, stroke care quality delivered in Puerto Rico is lower than in Florida. Sustained support of evidence-based acute stroke quality improvement programs is required to improve stroke care and minimize racial-ethnic disparities, particularly in resource-strained Puerto Rico

Burden of stroke in Puerto Rico

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death and the first cause of long-term disability in Puerto Rico. Trained staff reviewed and independently validated the medical records of patients who had been hospitalized with possible stroke at any of the 20 largest hospitals located in Puerto Rico during 2007, 2009, and 2011. The mean age of the 5005 newly diagnosed stroke patients (51.2% female) was 70 years. At the time of hospitalization, women were 4 1/2 years older, were less likely to be married (60.2% vs. 39.9%, P 100 mg/dL (65.7% vs. 57.5%) P < 0.05. Ischemic stroke represented 75% of all types of strokes. Atrial fibrillation was mentioned in 7.9% of the medical records. The risk for dying before discharge was similar for both genders, but was 40% higher for women than for men at one-year follow-up: age-adjusted odds ratio = 1.4 (95% confidence interval = 1.2-1.5)

Sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in a native Puerto Rican patient

The diagnosis of Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) is often a challenge for most physicians given its extremely low incidence and different clinico-pathological presentations. We report the case of a 56-year old patient native to Puerto Rico suspected of sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCD). The symptoms at onset were notorious for bilateral cortical blindness followed by rapidly progressive cognitive decline, visual deficit, increased levels of CSF 14-3-3 and tau along with positive brain MRI and EEG, are highly indicative of CJD. The definite diagnosis was confirmed by the National Prion Disease Pathology Surveillance Center (NPDPSC), in Cleveland, Ohio, USA. Lack of genetic mutations in the prion protein (PrP) gene, widespread histopathological changes and the accumulation of scrapie PrP (PrPSc) in the brain confirmed the diagnosis of sCJD. The patient, admitted to our institution in 2011, represents the first detailed report of sCJD in a native Puerto Rican patient living in Puerto Rico

Stroke Hospital Characteristics in the Florida-Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities Study

Objectives: Although disparities in stroke care and outcomes have been well documented nationally, state-based registries to monitor acute stroke care in Florida (FL) and Puerto Rico (PR) have not been established. The FL-PR Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities (CReSD) was developed to evaluate race-ethnicity and regional disparities in stroke care performance. The objective of this study was to assess and compare hospital characteristics within a large quality improvement registry to identify characteristics associated with better outcomes for acute ischemic stroke care. Methods: Trained personnel from 78 FL-PR CReSD hospitals (69 FL, 9 PR) completed a 50-item survey assessing institutional characteristics across seven domains: acute stroke care resource availability, emergency medical services integration, stroke center certification, data collection and use, quality improvement processes, FL-PR CReSD recruitment incentives, and hospital infrastructure. Results: The rate of survey completion was 100%. Differences were observed both within FL and between FL and PR. Years participating in GetWith TheGuidelines-Stroke (8.9 ± 2.6 years FL vs 4.8 ± 2.4 years PR, P \u3c 0.0001) and proportion of hospitals with any stroke center certification (94.2% FL vs 11.1% PR, P \u3c 0.0001) showed the largest variations. Smaller hospital size, fewer years in Get With The Guidelines-Stroke, and lack of stroke center designation and acute stroke care practice implementation may contribute to poorer outcomes. Conclusions: Results from our survey indicated variability in hospitaland system-level characteristics in stroke care across hospitals in Florida and Puerto Rico. Identification of these variations, which may explain potential disparities, can help clinicians understand gaps in stroke care and outcomes and targeted interventions to reduce identified disparities can be implemented

Abstract WP285: Sex Disparities in Stroke Care in Puerto Rico Hospitals Participating in the Florida-Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities (FL-PR CReSD) Study

Background: Sex is a contributing factor to inequalities in stroke care. In line with the aims of the FL-PR CReSD Study to assess Get With The Guidelines-Stroke (GWTG-S) quality improvement data, we sought to compare stroke performance metrics by sex among 9 GWTG-S participating Puerto Rico hospitals from 2010-2014. Methods: Age and NIHSS-adjusted hierarchical generalized linear models, stratified by sex, were evaluated for the following GWTG-S performance metrics: IV tPA treatment, early antithrombotic therapy, DVT prophylaxis, antithrombotic therapy at discharge, anticoagulation therapy for atrial fibrillation (AF) at discharge, statin medication at discharge, smoking cessation counseling, defect-free care (compliance with all performance measures), in addition to CT scan ≤25 minutes and door-to-IV tPA administration ≤60 minutes of hospital arrival. Results: Among 3,277 acute ischemic stroke cases, 48% were women. As compared to men, women were older (72±14 vs. 68±13 years, P<0.0001) with higher NIHSS scores (10±8.5 vs. 9±7.7, P=0.005). Women were less likely to receive IV tPA ≤ 4.5 hours among eligible patients arriving ≤ 3.5 hours (OR 0.71, 95% CI 0.51-0.98, P=0.04), early antithrombotic therapy (OR 0.86, 95% CI 0.75-0.97, P=0.02), DVT prophylaxis (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.88-0.99, P=0.03), statin medication at discharge (OR 0.85, 95% CI 0.78-0.93, P=0.0001), and anticoagulation for AF at discharge (OR 0.67, 95% CI 0.49-0.92, P=0.01) despite having higher rates of AF at admission (11% vs. 7%, P=0.001). Rates of IV tPA for patients arriving ≤ 2 hours, antithrombotic therapy at discharge, and smoking cessation counseling showed no sex differences. While women were less likely to have a CT scan ≤ 25 minutes of hospital arrival compared to men (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.74-0.93, P=0.002), no difference was found in door-to-IV tPA administration ≤ 60 minutes. Although an overall temporal improvement in defect-free care was observed from 2010-2014 (31% to 63%, P<.0001), women were less likely to receive this measure than men (OR 0.91, 95% CI 0.85-0.97, P=0.007). Conclusions: Overall, stroke care remains lower for Puerto Rican women than men. Continued adoption of the GWTG-S quality improvement program may help reduce sex disparities in quality of care across the island

Patterns and Outcomes of Endovascular Therapy in Mild Stroke A Florida-Puerto Rico Collaboration

Background and Purpose— We aimed to evaluate the current practice patterns, safety and outcomes of patients who receive endovascular therapy (EVT) having mild neurological symptoms. Methods— From Jan 2010 to Jan 2018, 127,794 ischemic stroke patients were enrolled in the Florida-Puerto Rico Stroke Registry. Patients presenting within 24 hours of symptoms who received EVT were classified into mild (National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale [NIHSS] ≤5) or moderate/severe (NIHSS>5) categories. Differences in clinical characteristics and outcomes were evaluated using multivariable logistic regression. Results— Among 4110 EVT patients (median age, 73 [interquartile range=20] years; 50% women), 446 (11%) had NIHSS ≤5. Compared with NIHSS >5, those with NIHSS ≤5 arrived later to the hospital (median, 138 versus 101 minutes), were less likely to receive intravenous alteplase (30% versus 43%), had a longer door-to-puncture time (median, 167 versus 115 minutes) and more likely treated in South Florida (64% versus 53%). In multivariable analysis younger age, private insurance (versus Medicare), history of hypertension, prior independent ambulation and hospital size were independent characteristics associated with NIHSS ≤5. Among EVT patients with NIHSS ≤5, 76% were discharged home/rehabilitation and 64% were able to ambulate independently at discharge as compared with 53% and 32% of patients with NIHSS >5. Symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage occurred in 4% of mild stroke EVT patients and 6.4% in those with NIHSS >5. Conclusions— Despite lack of evidence-based recommendations, 11% of patients receiving EVT in clinical practice have mild neurological presentations. Individual, hospital and geographic disparities are observed among endovascularly treated patients based on the severity of clinical symptoms. Our data suggest safety and overall favorable outcomes for EVT patients with mild stroke

Abstract TP25: Outcomes of Endovascular Thrombectomy in Late-presenting Patients: Findings From the Florida Stroke Registry

Introduction: It is unclear whether the outcomes of late presenting patients (6-24 hrs from symptom onset) receiving endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) in routine clinical practice parallels the favorable results of recently completed randomized trials. We evaluated characteristics and outcomes of EVT utilization, over the past decade, for late and early presenting (≤ 6 hrs from onset) patients. Methods: From Jan 2010 to Jan 2019, 84,346 ischemic stroke patients presenting within 24 hrs of symptoms were enrolled in the Florida Stroke Registry. Differences in clinical characteristics, utilization trends and outcomes at discharge were compared between late vs. early presenting EVT patients using multivariable regression analysis. Results: Among 5,702 EVT patients (mean age 71±15, 48% women), 1,580 (28%) were late presenting. Late presenting EVT patients had higher rates of private insurance (39% vs 35%), dyslipidemia (39% vs 35%) and smoking (16% vs.13% ) but lower rates of Hispanic patients (19% vs 24%) and atrial fibrillation (34% vs 37%.). Late presenting patients had lower National Institute of Health Stroke Scores [median 14 (IQR=12) vs 17 (IQR=11)] and rates of thrombolysis (6% vs 58%). Short term discharge outcomes and treatment complications are shown in Table. In multivariable analysis adjusting for age, sex, stroke severity and intravenous thrombolysis, late presenting EVT patients had similar symptomatic intracerebral hemorrhage rates [OR 1.02 (0.72-1.45)] and outcomes but were less likely to ambulate independently at discharge (OR 0.80, 95% CI 0.70-0.92) compared to early presenting EVT patients. Discussion: Over the past decade, nearly a third of EVT patients were treated after 6 hours from onset. In clinical practice late EVT carries comparable safety and favorable outcome profiles to early EVT

Racial‐Ethnic Disparities in Acute Stroke Care in the Florida‐Puerto Rico Collaboration to Reduce Stroke Disparities Study

Background: Racial‐ethnic disparities in acute stroke care can contribute to inequality in stroke outcomes. We examined race‐ethnic disparities in acute stroke performance metrics in a voluntary stroke registry among Florida and Puerto Rico Get With the Guidelines‐Stroke hospitals. Methods and Results: Seventy‐five sites in the Florida Puerto Rico Stroke Registry (66 Florida and 9 Puerto Rico) recorded 58 864 ischemic stroke cases (2010–2014). Logistic regression models examined racial‐ethnic differences in acute stroke performance measures and defect‐free care (intravenous tissue plasminogen activator treatment, in‐hospital antithrombotic therapy, deep vein thrombosis prophylaxis, discharge antithrombotic therapy, appropriate anticoagulation therapy, statin use, smoking cessation counseling) and temporal trends. Among ischemic stroke cases, 63% were non‐Hispanic white (NHW), 18% were non‐Hispanic black (NHB), 14% were Hispanic living in Florida, and 6% were Hispanic living in Puerto Rico. NHW patients were the oldest, followed by Hispanics, and NHBs. Defect‐free care was greatest among NHBs (81%), followed by NHWs (79%) and Florida Hispanics (79%), then Puerto Rico Hispanics (57%) (P Conclusions: Racial‐ethnic/geographic disparities were observed for acute stroke care performance metrics. Adoption of a quality improvement program improved stroke care from 2010 to 2014 in Puerto Rico and all Florida racial‐ethnic groups. However, stroke care quality delivered in Puerto Rico is lower than in Florida. Sustained support of evidence‐based acute stroke quality improvement programs is required to improve stroke care and minimize racial‐ethnic disparities, particularly in resource‐strained Puerto Rico