Disparities in transitions of acute stroke care: The transitions of care stroke disparities study methodological report.

OBJECTIVE: The Transitions of Stroke Care Disparities Study (TCSD-S) is an observational study designed to determine race-ethnic and sex disparities in post-hospital discharge transitions of stroke care and stroke outcomes and to develop hospital-level initiatives to reduce these disparities to improve stroke outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Here, we present the study rationale, describe the methodology, report preliminary outcomes, and discuss a critical need for the development, implementation, and dissemination of interventions for successful post-hospital transition of stroke care. The preliminary outcomes describe the demographic, stroke risk factor, socioeconomic, and acute care characteristics of eligible participants by race-ethnicity and sex. We also report on all-cause and vascular-related death, readmissions, and hospital/emergency room representations at 30- and 90-days after hospital discharge. RESULTS: The preliminary sample included data from 1048 ischemic stroke and intracerebral hemorrhage discharged from 10 comprehensive stroke centers across the state of Florida. The overall sample was 45% female, 22% Non-Hispanic Black and 21% Hispanic participants, with an average age of 64 ± 14 years. All cause death, readmissions, or hospital/emergency room representations are 10% and 19% at 30 and 90 days, respectively. One in 5 outcomes was vascular-related. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights the transition from stroke hospitalization as an area in need for considerable improvement in systems of care for stroke patients discharged from hospital. Results from our preliminary analysis highlight the importance of investigating race-ethnic and sex differences in post-stroke outcomes.

Clinical Reasoning: A 62-Year-Old Woman With Transient Vision Loss.

Transient visual loss (TVL) is a common complaint in the emergency department, with numerous possible etiologies. Prompt evaluation and management of TVL can potentially prevent progression to permanent visual loss. In this case, a 62-year-old woman presented with acute, painless, unilateral TVL. Two weeks before presentation, the patient reported bitemporal headaches and paresthesia of the distal extremities. A review of systems revealed chronic fatigue, cough, diffuse arthralgias, and decreased appetite for the previous 6 months. This case highlights the diagnostic approach to patients with TVL. Some common and rare causes associated with this clinical manifestation are briefly reviewed.

Obstetric and Gynecologic Disorders and the Nervous System.

OBJECTIVE: This article discusses obstetric and gynecologic associations with common neurologic disorders. LATEST DEVELOPMENTS: Neurologic complications of obstetric and gynecologic disorders can arise throughout the lifespan. Caution should be exercised when prescribing fingolimod and natalizumab to patients with multiple sclerosis who are of childbearing potential because of the risk of disease rebound when they are discontinued. OnabotulinumtoxinA is considered safe in pregnancy and lactation based on long-term observational data. Hypertensive disorders of pregnancy are associated with higher subsequent cerebrovascular risk, likely via multiple mechanisms. ESSENTIAL POINTS: Neurologic disorders may present in a variety of obstetric and gynecologic contexts, with meaningful implications for recognition and treatment. These interactions must be considered when treating women with neurologic conditions.

Nationally Certified Stroke Centers Outperform Self-Attested Stroke Centers in the Florida Stroke Registry.

BACKGROUND: The Florida Stroke Act, signed into law in 2004, set criteria for Comprehensive Stroke Centers (CSC). For a set time period, Florida hospitals were permitted to either receive national certification (NC) or could self-attest (SA) as fulfilling CSC criteria. The aim of this project was to evaluate the quality of ischemic stroke care in NC versus SA stroke centers in Florida, using well-known, guideline-driven ischemic stroke outcome metrics. METHODS: A total of 37 CSCs (74% of Florida CSCs) in the Florida Stroke Registry from January 2013 through December 2018 were analyzed, including 19 SA CSCs and 18 NC (13 CSCs and 5 Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Center). Hospital- and patient-level characteristics and stroke metrics were evaluated, adjusting for demographics, medical comorbidities, and stroke severity. RESULTS: A total of 78 424 acute ischemic stroke cases, 36 089 from SA CSCs and 42 335 from NC CSC/Thrombectomy-Capable Stroke Centers were analyzed. NC centers had older patients (73 [61-83] versus 71 [60-81]; P<0.001) with more severe strokes (median National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score of 5 versus 4; P<0.001). NC had higher intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator utilization (15% versus 13%; P<0.001), endovascular treatment (10% versus 7%; P<0.001) and faster median door-to-computed tomography (23 minutes [11-73] versus 31 [12-78]; P<0.001), door-to-needle (37 minutes [26-50] versus 45 [34-58]; P<0.001) and door-to-puncture times (77 minutes [50-113] versus 93 [62-140]; P<0.001). In adjusted analysis, patients arriving to NC hospitals by 3 hours were more likely to get intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator in the 3- to 4.5-hour window (adjusted odds ratio, 1.87 [95% CI, 1.30-2.68]; P=0.001) and more likely to be treated with intravenous tissue-type plasminogen activator within 45 minutes (adjusted odds ratio, 1.61 [95% CI, 1.04-2.50]; P=0.04) compared with SA CSCs. CONCLUSIONS: Among Florida-Stroke Registry CSCs, acute ischemic stroke performance and treatment measures at NC centers are superior to SA CSCs. These findings have implications for stroke systems of care in Florida and support legislation updates requiring NC and removal of SA claims.

Factors and Behaviors Related to Successful Transition of Care After Hospitalization for Ischemic Stroke.

BACKGROUND: Our objective is to describe adoption of the posthospitalization behaviors associated with successful transition of care and related baseline characteristics. METHODS: This study includes 550 participants in the Transition of Care Stroke Disparities Study, a prospective observational cohort derived from the Florida Stroke Registry. Participants had an ischemic stroke (2018-2021), discharged home or to rehabilitation, with modified Rankin Scale score=0-3 (44% women, 24% Black, 48% White, 26% Hispanic, 35% foreign-born). We collected baseline sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. A structured telephone interview at 30-day postdischarge evaluated outcomes including medication adherence, medical appointment attendance, outpatient therapy, exercise, diet modification, toxic habit cessation, and a calculated composite adequate transition of care measure. Multivariable analyses assessed the association of baseline characteristics with 30-day behaviors. RESULTS: At 30 days, medication adherence was achieved by 89%, medical appointments by 82%, outpatient therapy by 76%, exercise by 71%, diet modification by 68%, toxic habit cessation by 35%, and adequate transition of care measure by 67%. Successful adequate transition of care participants were more likely to be used full-time (42% versus 31%, P=0.02), live with a spouse (60% versus 47%, P=0.01), feel close to ≥3 individuals (84% versus 71%, P<0.01), have history of dyslipidemia (45 versus 34%, P=0.02), have thrombectomy (15% versus 8%, P=0.02), but less likely to have a history of smoking (17% versus 32%, P<0.001), coronary artery disease (14% versus 21%, P=0.04), and heart failure (3% versus 11%, P<0.01). Multivariable logistic regression analyses revealed that multiple socio-economic factors and prestroke comorbid diseases predicted fulfillment of transition of care measures. There was no difference in outcomes during the Covid-19 pandemic (2020-2021) compared with prepandemic years (2018-2019). CONCLUSIONS: One in 3 patients did not attain adequate 30-day transition of care behaviors. Their achievement varied substantially among different measures and was influenced by multiple socioeconomic and clinical factors. Interventions aimed at facilitating transition of care from hospital after stroke are needed. REGISTRATION: URL: https://clinicaltrials.gov/; Unique identifier: NCT03452813.