Economic evaluation of prolonged and enhanced ECG Holter monitoring in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Objective: Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a major cause for recurrent stroke, has severe impact on a patient's health and imposes a high economic burden for society. Current guidelines recommend 24 h ECG monitoring (standard-of-care, SoC) to detect AF after stroke to reduce the risk of future events. However, paroxysmal AF (PAF) is difficult to detect within this period as it occurs infrequently and unpredictably. In a randomized controlled trial (Find-AFRANDOMISED), prolonged and enhanced Holter ECG monitoring (EPM) revealed a significantly higher detection rate of AF compared to SoC, although its cost-effectiveness has not yet been investigated. Methods: Based on the data of FIND-AFRANDOMISED, an economic evaluation was conducted. One group received EPM for 10 days after the event, and at 3 and 6 months; the other group received SoC. Healthcare resource use and quality of life (QoL) data were measured at baseline, and after 6 and 12 months. Incremental costs and quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) between both groups were compared. Non-parametric bootstrapping and one-way-sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: A total of 281 patients with healthcare resource use and QoL data for all measurement points were considered in the economic evaluation (complete case analysis, CCA). The CCA yielded nonsignificant 315€ lower mean costs and 0.0013 less QALYs for patients receiving EPM with no statistically significant differences in any cost categories. Sensitivity analyses revealed robust results. Bootstrapping the results indicated moderate probability of cost-effectiveness. Conclusions: EPM yielded reduced not significantly different costs without affecting QoL and may be a useful strategy to detect PAF in acute ischemic stroke patients in time.

Regional differences in acute stroke admission and thrombolysis rates in the German federal state of Hesse.

BACKGROUND: Using data from the mandatory quality assurance program for stroke care in Hesse, we analyze regional differences in thrombolysis rates and infer some ways in which care can be improved. METHODS: We identified 7707 patients with acute ischemic stroke who were admitted to hospital within 3 hours of symptom onset in 2007 and 2008, and we determined the local thrombolysis rate district by district. In order to exclude the possibility that the observed local differences in thrombolysis rates might be accounted for, in large part, by off-label thrombolysis procedures, we further narrowed down the subgroup of patients who underwent thrombolysis to the 1108 patients admitted within 2 hours of symptom onset. We also analyzed the local thrombolysis rates for patients who were primarily referred to stroke units. RESULTS: The overall thrombolysis rate among patients admitted within 3 hours of symptom onset was 19%, varying locally from 6% to 35%. Among patients admitted within 2 hours of symptom onset, the local thrombolysis rate ranged from 13% to 85%. Even in patients primarily referred to stroke units, the local thrombolysis rate ranged from 8% to 44% in the 3-hour group and from 16% to 62% in the 2-hour group. CONCLUSION: Local thrombolysis rates vary unexpectedly widely across the state of Hesse. The care of patients with acute stroke after they reach the hospital urgently needs critical reappraisal and improvement.