Impact of intravenous thrombolysis on length of hospital stay in cases of acute ischemic stroke

Figures & data

Table 1 Clinical characteristics of patients with acute ischemic stroke admitted at the primary, secondary, and tertiary/university hospitals throughout northeast Thailand

Characteristics	n=898
Male	460 (51.22)
Median (first–third IQR) age, years	58 (67–75)
Median (first–third IQR) NIHSS	8 (4–13)
Mild (0–6)	362 (40.31)
Moderate (7–15)	386 (42.98)
Severe (16–42)	150 (16.70)
Stroke classification
Large-artery atherosclerosis	309 (34.41)
Cardioembolism	236 (26.28)
Small-vessel occlusion	339 (37.75)
Other etiology	2 (0.22)
Undetermined etiology	8 (0.89)
Comorbidities
Hypertension	436 (48.55)
Diabetes mellitus	229 (25.50)
Dyslipidemia	235 (26.17)
Atrial fibrillation	218 (24.28)
Coronary artery disease	47 (5.23)
Previous stroke	115 (12.81)
Chronic kidney disease	40 (4.45)
Thrombolytic use	422 (46.99)
Complications
Pneumonia	191 (21.27)
Urinary tract infection	45 (5.01)
Sepsis	40 (4.45)
Gastrointestinal bleeding	19 (2.12)
Acute kidney injury	35 (3.90)
Heart failure	20 (2.23)
Brain herniation	38 (4.23)
Intracerebral hemorrhage	69 (7.68)

Note: Data presented as number (percentage), unless indicated otherwise.

Abbreviations: IQR, interquartile range; NIHSS, National Institute of Health Stroke Scale.

Table 2 Predictors for length of stay in patients with acute ischemic stroke according to three different models

Characteristics	Model A*		Model B#		Model C‡
	IRR (95% CI)	P-value	IRR (95% CI)	P-value	IRR (95% CI)	P-value
Age	1.00 (1.00–1.01)	0.005	1.00 (0.99–1.00)	0.763	1.00 (0.99–1.00)	0.638
Stroke severity
Mild (0–6)	1		1		1
Moderate (7–15)	1.02 (0.96–1.08)	0.552	1.15 (1.01–1.30)	0.040	1.05 (0.94–1.78)	0.389
Severe (16–42)	1.10 (1.02–1.19)	0.012	1.27 (1.09–1.47)	0.002	1.00 (0.87–1.15)	0.962
Thrombolytic therapy	0.68 (0.68–0.76)	<0.001	0.68 (0.60–0.76)	<0.001	0.74 (0.67–0.83)	<0.001
Risk factors
Atrial fibrillation	1.19 (1.12–1.26)	<0.001	1.15 (1.02–1.30)	0.023	1.14 (1.02–1.28)	0.018
Complications
Pneumonia	1.66 (1.57–1.76)	<0.001	–	–	1.48 (1.30–1.68)	<0.001
Urinary tract infection	1.74 (1.58–1.91)	<0.001	–	–	1.41 (1.14–1.74)	0.001
Sepsis	1.80 (1.63–1.99)	<0.001	–	–	1.42 (0.95–2.12)	0.085
Gastrointestinal bleeding	1.53 (1.32–0.178)	<0.001	–	–	1.04 (0.65–1.65)	0.880
Acute kidney injury	1.46 (1.31–1.64)	<0.001	–	–	1.09 (0.86–1.38)	0.465
Intracerebral hemorrhage	0.98 (0.89–1.08)	0.690	–	–	1.01 (0.84–1.21)	0.933

Notes: Poisson regression analysis regressing length of stay on the independent variable. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) and their corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) are depicted.

* Unadjusted.

# Adjusted for age, stroke severity, and atrial fibrillation.

‡ Adjusted for age, stroke severity, atrial fibrillation, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, gastrointestinal bleeding, acute kidney injury, and intracerebral hemorrhage.